Brutalist

László Tóth was an architect of European renown before he was turned into just a number and a death waiting list in a concentration camp due to his Jewish heritage.

László Tóth (Adrien Brody) was a renowned European architect before he was turned into just a number and a death waiting list in a concentration camp due to his Jewish heritage. He managed to survive the war, but immediately after it, he left the wounded Europe to forget. Like many others, he attempted a restart in the shadow of the Statue of Liberty, only to find that the reputation of an exceptional architect remained back home in Budapest and that the proverbial American Dream is not guaranteed for everyone. A small consolation is the realization that his wife (Felicity Jones) also survived the horrors of the concentration camp and that only a lack of money for travel prevents them from reuniting. The tide truly begins to turn when László meets the patron Van Buren (Guy Pearce), who sees his potential and begins to support him generously. At that moment, László takes flight. He pours all his skill and talent, as well as the traumas of his past and inner demons, into a building that will ensure his immortality. However, this is only on the condition that he manages to complete it, and that he does not destroy himself and everyone around him during its realization. Architect László Tóth is a fictional character; according to director Brady Corbet, he is a kind of synthesis of creators who, with their extraordinary visions in the post-war world, were so far ahead of their time that they fought more than they created. "Brutalist is essentially a story about the toxicity of the American Dream. On one hand, Tóth got a chance to regain his reputation, but on the other hand, it was undermined by the pettiness of his patron," says director Corbet.