The Brutalist

A closer look at the story

László Tóth is a Hungarian-born, Bauhaus-trained and innovative architect who survived the Holocaust. After the Second World War, he flees a ruined Europe for the United States in pursuit of the American dream. In his new country, however, the first things waiting for him are poverty and hard labour. In Pennsylvania, during the years when modern America was taking shape, an unexpected opportunity gives him the chance to rebuild his legacy, and he signs an agreement that will change the course of his life. Some time later, his wife Erzsébet joins him. Yet the couple's lives will be changed forever by their relationship with an extremely wealthy and equally demanding patron. Directed by Brady Corbet, who wrote it with Mona Fastvold, this 215-minute 2024 drama stars Adrien Brody, Felicity Jones and Guy Pearce.