Has anyone seen the Brutalist? Contains spoilers [Title edited by MNHQ at OP's request]

[NetZeroZealot]

I think it’s the sort of film I’d enjoy but at over 3 hours long I need someone whose seen it to recommend it!
and I’m not sure it’s DH’s cup of tea!

It is a sad reality though that this happens to the vulnerable - they become sexual prey. And intellect and past glittering achievement won’t necessarily protect you. These were actually mocked in the moment of the aggression.

@category12 I see Conclave is available to stream now. Is it worth it in the cinema?

I would recommend seeing the Brutalist in the cinema because of the surround sound effect, the stylishness of the look of it and the length. I think it would be easier to lose focus if you were at home making tea, looking at your phone and so on.

anyone whose seen the Conclave is there anything special in it that makes you say it would be worth a trip to the cinema as opposed to watching it at home?

I think the visuals of Conclave deserve a big screen.

Yeah I agree - it is beautifully shot. I think you could get away with watching it at home on streaming, and still appreciate the visuals, but if you’re up for a cinema trip, it’s well worth making a trip for.

Agree with this. Plus there are a couple of moments, one in particular, that really make an impact in terms of visuals and sound, and I think a cinema setting will fully do those justice.

thanks for your conclave thoughts.

Conclave's sound design is also excellent and far better in a cinema. You can spot it's the AQOTWF director.

I finally got round to seeing the Brutalist this evening and thought it was a very interesting film. Thanks to those whose comments helped me decide to go!

I watched Conclave on TV which was fine but this definitely was worth seeing in the cinema- £11 for 3.5 hours good deal!

I’ve turned my mind to the film again tonight although it hasn’t lingered with me as others have.

There were some brilliant individual performances, sweeping cinematography, moving scenes, engaging themes but somehow the sum didn’t seem as brilliant as (some of) the parts.

And the epilogue didn’t work for me; just seemed a bit tired (or was that the point by the time we got to the end?!)

I’d probably watch it again if I don’t have to pay for it but, even then, not anytime soon.

@Maggiethecat I agree with you, I thought it was a terrific cinematic experience and loved the performances but somehow overall I felt the film fell short. I found the epilogue rushed and clunky.

@AzurePanda and @Maggiethecat I feel the same! I didn’t like that the epilogue gave the film a Hollywood ending, with Laszlo finally being properly recognised and honoured for his work, and treated well, after all the previous scenes in which he and his wife had been treated awfully. It felt the director was just trying to do a crowd-pleasing ending, which is strange, because it’s just so unexpected and different in tone to the rest of the film. I think that’s my main criticism of the film.

So delighted Adrien Brody got best actor at the Baftas. Whatever the flaws of the film, his performance was impeccable and extraordinary.

Agree. He was brilliant.

Is it usual for these threads to have spoilers? I thought separate threads were made that specifically say in the title they have spoilers.

I would say it’s up to you to be careful. If the thread title doesn’t say No spoilers then I’d be cautious. I didn’t read all the posts here until after I’d seen the film.

@NetZeroZealot you could ask for a spoilers warning to be added to your title. To be kind to the unwary. 😁

I wouldn’t read a thread on a film that I intended to see as there’s always a risk of disclosures whether warned or not.

No need to have an amended title in the thread. The film’s been out ages so of which means stories within the film will have been discussed so if you don’t want to know why would you bother clicking on the thread?

I’ve done this now

Me too! He thoroughly deserved it. I hope he wins the Oscar too. I saw A Complete Unknown the other day, and Timothée Chalamet is incredible in it - if you haven’t seen it yet, I highly recommend it, and this is coming from someone who’s not particularly into Bob Dylan 😂 But I still think Adrien Brody’s performance stands out just that bit more. It would be lovely if he clinched it and got an Oscar for it.

I also enjoyed A Complete Unknown!

He thoroughly deserved it. I hope he wins the Oscar too.

Honestly I think Ralph Fiennes is more deserving for Conclave. It is a masterclass in acting because he conveys so much in a very minimal and understated way - sometimes just a look.

The Brutalist is an amazing film as a work of art and I think Brody will win because that momentum will carry him to the Oscar but its a bit sad for Ralph Fiennes as his acting is much better and more deserving IMO.

I thought Ralph Fiennes was excellent. As was Timothée Chalamet in A complete unknown - he absolutely blew me away.

The thing that edges me towards AB getting the Oscar is not just the huge amount of effort he had to put in to prepare for the role (e.g. learning Hungarian) - especially as TC also had to prepare a heck of a lot to play Bob Dylan - but also the sheer emotional intensity, sincerity and energy of his performance. He seems absolutely perfect for the role.

I’ve got no idea how to properly, objecticely analyse acting, and I really like all three of them as actors, but out of the three, I found AB’s performance the most moving and the one I’ve been reflecting on the most out of the three.

I found it hard to judge the predictably good RF in that because I’d read the novel first, and his character is Italian in that, which kept throwing me.

My 12 year old didn’t help by seeing the trailer and hissing ‘So, Voldemort is the Pope???’

I found it hugely thought-provoking. Lots of themes around power, which the rape was integral to in my opinion.

Lazlo's character had no power throughout - his cousin and wife did, then Harrison's character. Lazlo constantly felt inferior and disliked as the foreigner, and Jew, despite US being an ally.

Harry's reaction to Elizabeth's announcement at the dinner interested me. I wondered if he'd been abused by his father. Male on male rape is less common - had his father done similar before raping Lazlo? Was Harry's dubious pursuit and hinted at sexual assault of Sofia related?

I thought the cinematography was integral to the atmosphere and story too.

The epilogue felt a bit stuck on. But I guess the aim was to communicate that Lazlo had a successful career despite the massive white elephant/pow trauma architecture of the monster building he designed for Harrison. And I found it very powerful that Sofia was speaking at a big public event, after having been mute for years. I'm assuming he didn't leave for Israel - did Elizabeth?