Brutalist

Date: 31.1. – 31.1.2025
Time: 18:50
Title: Brutalista
Venue: Kino Lumiere (K4), Špitálska 4, Bratislava
Organizer: Kino Lumiere (K4), K4

Event description:

Brutalista is an incredible story of a visionary architect who survived the Holocaust and a difficult restart in a new country, only to strive for immortality under the weight of life’s hardships. This uncompromising drama won the Silver Lion for Best Direction at the Venice Film Festival and the Golden Globe for Best Film Drama.

László Tóth (Adrien Brody) was once a renowned architect, but due to his Jewish heritage, he was reduced to a mere number and sentenced to death in a concentration camp. He managed to survive the war, but immediately after, he left the wounded Europe to forget. Like many others, he tried to restart his life in the shadow of the Statue of Liberty, only to realize that his reputation as an exceptional architect remained in Budapest, and the famed American dream was not guaranteed for everyone.

A small consolation comes when he discovers that his wife (Felicity Jones) also survived the horrors of the concentration camp, but financial constraints prevent them from being reunited. The situation starts to change when László meets his patron, Van Buren (Guy Pearce), who sees his potential and generously supports him. That’s when László begins to move forward. He pours all of his art, talent, past traumas, and inner demons into a structure that he believes will grant him immortality. But only if he can finish it without destroying himself and everyone around him in the process.

Architect László Tóth is a fictional character created by director Brady Corbet, who is a synthesis of creators in the post-war world whose extraordinary visions were so ahead of their time that they fought more than they created. Brutalista is essentially a story about the toxicity of the American dream. On one hand, architect Tóth is given a chance to reclaim his reputation; on the other, that opportunity is undermined by the pettiness of his patron. As director Corbet says, “Brutalista is fundamentally a story about the toxicity of the American dream.”