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Image via A24
Starting in late August, the fall festival season has always helped kick off the awards race in a major way. Highly-anticipated films such as Luca Guadagnino's Queer, Pedro Almodóvar's The Room Next Door, and Edward Berger's Conclave have all had their world premieres. However, one movie in particular has taken critics by storm: Brady Corbet's The Brutalist. Featuring a star-studded cast and incredible direction, the movie has received rave reviews across the board, cementing it as one of the biggest Oscar contenders of the awards season. Here's your guide to everything you need to know about The Brutalist.
9 Does 'The Brutalist' Have a Release Date?
Yes, The Brutalist is currently scheduled to premiere on December 20, 2024.
The Brutalist had its world premiere at the 81st Venice International Film Festival on September 1, 2024, and also played at the 49th Annual Toronto International Film Festival, the 62nd New York Film Festival, and the 69th Valladolid International Film Festival.
Shortly after the movie's Venice premiere, indie giant A24 acquired the film, adding to their slate of awards contenders, which also includes Greg Kwedar's Sing Sing and Luca Gudagnino's Queer.
8 Will 'The Brutalist' Receive a Wide Theatrical Release?
Image via A24 As of right now, we only know that The Brutalist will play in select theaters starting on December 20. Since the movie was shot in VistaVision, it will also have screenings in 70mm film, although a list of theaters has not yet been revealed.
Considering the movie's acclaim and potential in next year's Academy Awards, it's safe to assume that the drama will expand into more theaters outside of New York and Los Angeles in early 2025.
7 What Is 'The Brutalist' Rated?
Image via Venice Film Festival The MPA has not yet been given The Brutalist a rating, but it is expected to be rated R for its sexual content and nudity.
6 How Long Is 'The Brutalist'?
Image via A24 The Brutalist holds the distinct record of being the longest American film of 2024, with a runtime of 3 hours and 35 minutes (215 minutes), which includes a 15-minute intermission.
5 Is There a Trailer for 'The Brutalist'?
Yes, the first trailer for The Brutalist was released by A24 on Tuesday, October 22, 2024.
Running at a mere 76 seconds, the teaser doesn't show too much, overlaying snippets from the film with a flowing stream of text advertising the movie's cast as well as the quote "Monumental," which was used by several outlets in their reviews of the movie. The trailer ends with a voice-over simply saying "Welcome to America."
The second trailer for The Brutalist was released by A24 on December 10, a mere 10 days before its limited theatrical release date. The two-and-a-half minute preview gives us a far better look at the movie's plot and its epic scale.
4 Who Stars in 'The Brutalist'?
Adrien Brody | László Tóth |
Felicity Jones | Erzsébet Tóth |
Guy Pearce | Harrison Lee Van Buren |
Joe Alwyn | Harry Lee Van Buren |
Raffey Cassidy | Zsófia |
Stacy Martin | Maggie Van Buren |
Emma Laird | Audrey |
Isaach de Bankolé | Gordon |
Alessandro Nivola | Attila |
Academy Award winner Adrien Brody headlines The Brutalist as László Tóth, a Hungarian-Jewish architect and Holocaust survivor who immigrated to America at World War II's end, hoping to achieve the American Dream. At the age of 29, Brody became the youngest actor to win the Academy Award for Best Actor for his role in The Pianist and quickly became one of Hollywood's most sought-after actors, snagging roles in Peter Jackson's King Kong and M. Night Shyamlan's The Village. Brody has since become a frequent collaborator with Wes Anderson, appearing in The Grand Budapest Hotel, The Darjeeling Limited, Fantastic Mr. Fox, The French Dispatch, and Asteroid City.
Academy Award nominee Felicity Jones stars as László's wife, Erzsébet. After receiving an Oscar nomination for her role as Jane Hawking in The Theory of Everything, Jones became involved in numerous high-profile projects, such as Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, A Monster Calls, Inferno, The Midnight Sky, and On the Basis of Sex.
Guy Pearce also has a prominent role in The Brutalist as Harrison Lee Van Buren, a rich and successful industrialist who ultimately becomes an incredibly important client for László. Pearce has become a successful actor in his own right and rose to fame for his roles in L.A. Confidential and Christopher Nolan's breakthrough film, Memento. Since then, Pearce has appeared in films and shows such as The Hurt Locker, The King's Speech, The Road, Iron Man 3, Prometheus, Mildred Pierce, and Mare of Easttown.
Making up the rest of the ensemble for The Brutalist are Joe Alwyn (The Favourite) as Harry Lee Van Buren, Stacy Martin (Vox Lux) as Maggie Van Buren, Alessandro Nivola (The Many Saints of Newark) as Attila, Isaach de Bankolé (Casino Royale) as Gordon, Raffey Cassidy (Vox Lux) as Zsófia, Emma Laird (Mayor of Kingstown) as Audrey, and Jonathan Hyde (Titanic) as Leslie.
Back in September 2020, it was initially reported that Academy Award winners Marion Cotillard and Mark Rylance were set for roles alongside Joel Edgerton, Sebastian Stan, and Academy Award nominee Vanessa Kirby. However, none of those announcements came to fruition.
3 What Is 'The Brutalist' About?
Photo via CAA The official synopsis for The Brutalist, via A24, reads:
Escaping post-war Europe, visionary architect László Toth arrives in America to rebuild his life, his work, and his marriage to his wife Erzsébet after being forced apart during wartime by shifting borders and regimes. On his own in a strange new country, László settles in Pennsylvania, where the wealthy and prominent industrialist Harrison Lee Van Buren recognizes his talent for building. But power and legacy come at a heavy cost...
The movie runs at a whopping 3 hours and 35 minutes, which also includes a 15-minute intermission. In his review, Collider's Ross Bonaime compared the movie's epic scope to that of Citizen Kane, There Will Be Blood, Oppenheimer, and Lawrence of Arabia.
2 Who Made 'The Brutalist'?
Image via NEON As previously mentioned, The Brutalist was directed by Brady Corbet, who co-wrote the screenplay alongside his partner Mona Fastvold (The Mustang). Corbet initially began his career as an actor appearing in films and series such as Thirteen, Thunderbirds, Mysterious Skin, 24, Oliver Kitteridge, and Melancholia. In 2015, he made his feature directorial debut with The Childhood of a Leader and followed it up in 2018 with the polarizing drama Vox Lux, starring Natalie Portman.
Corbet also serves as a producer on the movie alongside Trevor Matthews (The Forgiven), Nick Gordon (First Kill), Brian Young (Vox Lux), Andrew Morrison (The World to Come), Andrew Lauren (The Spectacular Now), and D.J. Gugenheim (High Life).
Cinematographer Lol Crawley, who worked with Corbet on his last two films, serves as the director of photography, with Academy Award nominee Judy Becker (American Hustle) serving as the production designer, Dávid Jancsó (Monkey Man) as the editor, and Kate Forbes (Fair Play) as the costume designer. Daniel Blumberg (The World to Come) composed the score for the movie.
1 When and Where Did 'The Brutalist' Film?
Image via A24 Despite largely taking place in New York, most of the filming for The Brutalist took place in Budapest and Tuscany, Italy. Production began in March 2023 and wrapped two months later in May. As mentioned earlier, The Brutalist was shot in VistaVision and is the first American movie to be shot in the format in over 60 years, with the last film being Marlon Brando's One-Eyed Jacks in 1961.
The Brutalist follows visionary architect László Toth and his wife Erzsébet as they flee Europe, aiming to rebuild their legacy in modern America. Their journey takes an unexpected turn when a mysterious and wealthy client alters the course of their lives, intertwining ambition with the challenges of a new world.
Release Date December 20, 2024
Director Brady Corbet
Main Genre Drama
Writers Brady Corbet , Mona Fastvold
Character(s) László Tóth , Harrison Lee Van Buren , Erzsébet Tóth , Harry Lee Van Buren , Zsófia , Maggie Lee Van Buren , Audrey , Gordon , Attila , Jim Simpson , Leslie , Hoffman , Orazio , Zsófia in 1980 , Party Guest , Bar Manager , Mayor Kinney , Receptionist , Construction Supervisor , Townsperson , Townsperson #2
English (US) ·