When architect László Tóth (Adrien Brody) is forced out of Hungary and escapes to Pennsylvania, he has no intention of seeking out the American dream. Dejected and alone his minimalist designs go unappreciated in the country of excess. But when an opportunistic millionaire, Harrison Lee Van Buren Sr (Guy Pearce), recognises László’s talent, the architect is quickly assigned to bring to life the rich man’s vanity project. And so begins The Brutalist, following László and his wife Erzsébet (Felicity Jones) as the couple’s life in America is built and destroyed countless times at the behest of the Van Buren family. Brady Corbet’s third feature film, redefines the American epic to demonstrate how violence is a building block for ideology.
