The Brutalist

There are several shots in this movie — more specifically, establishing shots — that pay very close attention to the buildings surrounding the characters. Still shots of rooftops, wide and medium shots of buildings from different angles and arrays. I think it’s in these moments that the movie teaches the audience to notice, as if to say, “What did it take to make these buildings? What do they tell you?” I find this interaction to be the highlight of the movie — especially considering how “abrupt” the ending to this nearly 4-hour epic might have seemed. This movie also flows — although never explicitly — fueled through pain. It is never really stated, but the buildings, and the film, represent a pain that is never talked about, but one that is always felt. To me, Toth’s monumental works are an attempt at preserving the core of what is doomed to erode: our perspective on misery, our interpretations of art, and our experiences as human beings. Those things might not last very long, but they were there, at one point — and to us, it was everything. A colossal achievement in interpretation and storytelling. Muted, yet so unbelievably loud. What a ride.