The Brutalist, a 2024 new movie from actor-turned-director Brady Corbet, is being described as a historical epic and has become one of the buzziest movies of the year following its debut at fall film festivals. So what do you need to know about it?
With a runtime of three hours and 15 minutes (it comes with an intermission, so no need for a repeat of Killers of the Flower Moon intermission incidents from 2023), it lives up to its epic billing. It has also already earned some notable awards and is being lauded by critics. With A24 coming in to help distribute it in the US and Focus Features handling the international rollout, it’s just a matter of time until audiences everywhere get to watch The Brutalist for themselves.
When may that be? Who's starring in the movie? What's it about? Read on to find out about that and more on The Brutalist.
The Brutalist release date
The Brutalist is coming to theaters on December 20, when it will first receive a limited release before expanding to other markets. In the UK, The Brutalist is set to premiere in cinemas on January 24, 2025.
It joins a busy slate at A24, which this year has Heretic, Babygirl, Queer and more set to be released, joining the likes of other 2024 movies like Love Lies Bleeding, Civil War, Sing Sing, A Different Man and We Live in Time.
The Brutalist first screened at the Venice Film Festival and the Toronto International Film Festival in early September, then made its official US debut at the New York Film Festival at the end of September.
The Brutalist cast
Oscar-winner Adrien Brody and Oscar-nominee Felicity Jones headline the cast of The Brutalist as the husband and wife at the center of the story, László and Erzsébet Tóth.
Brody won the Best Actor Oscar for his performance in The Pianist. Among his other notable credits are The Grand Budapest Hotel, Peaky Blinders, Succession, Poker Face, Ghosted, Asteroid City and Winning Time.
Jones was nominated for an Oscar (Best Actress) in The Theory of Everything, while having also starred in A Monster Calls, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, On the Basis of Sex and The Midnight Sky.
Also in The Brutalist cast are Guy Pearce (Mare of Easttown), Joe Alwyn (Kinds of Kindness), Alessandro Nivola (The Many Saints of Newark) and Jonathan Hyde (Jumanji).
The Brutalist plot
Corbet and his wife Mona Fastvold co-wrote the screenplay for The Brutalist. Here is the official synopsis:
"The Brutalist chronicles the journey of Hungarian-born Jewish architect, László Tóth, who emigrates to the United States of America in 1947. Initially forced to toil in poverty, he soon wins a contract that will change the course of the next 30 years of his life."
The Brutalist trailer
The official trailer for The Brutalist has arrived online. It is very different from the kind of trailers we're used to seeing. See for yourself right here:
Check out another trailer for The Brutalist right here:
The Brutalist reviews
What to Watch has weighed in with our official The Brutalist review. If you're curious about the critical consensus on the movie, as of December 19 it has a 95% "Certified Fresh" rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
The Brutalist awards
We're keeping track of all the major awards and nominations that The Burtalist receives for 2024. Check out its current tally directly below:
Golden Globes
- Best Motion Picture Drama (nominee)
- Best Actor Drama — Adrien Brody (nominee)
- Best Supporting Actress — Felicity Jones (nominee)
- Best Supporting Actor — Guy Pearce (nominee)
- Best Director — Brady Corbet (nominee)
- Best Screenplay — Brady Corbet & Mona Fastvold (nominee)
- Best Original Score (nominee)
Venice Film Festival
- Silver Lion for Best Director — Brady Corbet
Boston Society of Film Critics
- Best Cinematography (winner)
- Best Score (winner)
Critics Choice Awards
- Best Picture (nominee)
- Best Actor — Adrien Brody (nominee)
- Best Supporting Actor — Guy Pearce (nominee)
- Best Director — Brady Corbet (nominee)
- Best Original Screenplay — Brady Corbet & Mona Fastvold (nominee)
- Best Cinematography (nominee)
- Best Production Design (nominee)
- Best Editing (nominee)
- Best Score (nominee)
Gotham Awards
- Outstanding Lead Performance — Adrien Brody (nominee)
- Outstanding Supporting Performance — Guy Pearce (nominee)
Independent Spirit Awards
- Best Director — Brady Corbet (nominee)
London Critics Circle Film Awards
- Film of the Year (nominee)
- Director of the Year — Brady Corbet (nominee)
- Actor of the Year — Adrien Brody (nominee)
- Supporting Actor of the Year — Guy Pearce (nominee)
- Screenwriter of the Year — Brady Corbet & Mona Fastvold (nominee)
- Young British/Irish Performer of the Year — Raffey Cassidy (nominee)
- Technical Achievement of the Year — Production Design (nominee)
Los Angeles Film Critics Association
- Best Picture (runner-up)
- Best Cinematography (runner-up)
- Best Production Design (winner)
New York Film Critics Circle Awards
- Best Film (winner)
- Best Actor — Adrien Brody (winner)
Washington DC Area Film Critics Association
- Best Director — Brady Corbet (winner)
- Best Original Score (co-winner)
Brady Corbet movies
Audiences first got to know Brady Corbet as an actor, with him appearing in 24, Martha Marcy May Marlene, Melancholia, Clouds of Sils Maria and Olive Kitteridge. But after 2014 he has worked exclusively as a director. He has made two feature movies to date — The Childhood of a Leader and Vox Lux — and directed three episodes of the Apple TV Plus series The Crowded Room.
