Trailer For Brady Corbet's ‘The Brutalist' [Updated]

UPDATE: A new and more in-depth trailer has been released for “The Brutalist”

EARLIER: IndieWire’s critics poll which asked almost 70 journalists who attended “one or more” of the fall festivals, had Brady Corbet’s “The Brutalist” topping the poll.

It’s definitely way up there for me, alongside Dea Kulumbegashvili’s “April,” Edward Berger’s “Conclave,” Pedro Almodovar’s “The Room Next Door,” Mike Leigh’s “Hard Truths,” Albert Serra’s “Afternoon’s of Solitude,” Luca Guadagnino’s “Queer,” Halin Reijn’s “Babygirl” and Andrew DeYoung’s “Friendship.”

“The Brutalist” now has a trailer that effectively conveys the mood and scope of this 215-minute film. It also showcases a towering performance from Adrien Brody. Notice how the credits and title are moving from right to left much like Vistavision film.

The film chronicles 30 years in the life of László Tóth, a Hungarian-born Jewish architect who survives the Holocaust. After the end of World War II, he emigrates to the United States with his wife, Erzsébet, to experience the "American dream". László initially endures poverty and indignity, but he soon lands a contract with a wealthy client, Harrison Lee Van Buren, that will change the course of his life.

Corbet showed glimpses of greatness in his flawed “Vox Lux,” and “The Childhood of a Leader,” but I did not expect him to deliver sheer brilliance with “The Brutalist,” which was made for just $6M. The screenplay by Corbet and Mona Fastvold is densely layered. Daniel Blumberg’s score is quite possibly the best one I’ve heard all year. The production design is authentic and to die for.

The first half of ‘The Brutalist’ might contend for the best film I’ve seen this entire decade, whereas the second half, although very strong, takes a more intellectual approach, and has been greeted as the “weaker” section of the film by many critics. Still, Corbet's immigrant saga is so meticulously constructed that you can’t help but be astonished by the sheer audacity of it all. I was rarely bored. The film is stunningly shot by cinematographer Lol Crawley in VistaVision no less, and some of the shots concocted, the audacious movements of the camera and editing, will have your jaw dropping.

Also, an interesting narrative is emerging in the Best Actor race, which is potentially going to be a two-way race between Adrien Brody and Ralph Fiennes (“Conclave”). You can definitely say that Fiennes, an indisputably great actor, is overdue for a statuette, but Brody’s comeback is also something that’s worth writing about.

Brody has had a shaky batch of roles ever since winning the Oscar for 2002’s “The Pianist.” However, in the past few years, he’s starting to reemerge with films such as "The French Dispatch,” "Blonde,” "Asteroid City" and his memorable guest appearance in "Succession.” There’s a reason he’s an Oscar winner, and “The Brutalist” showcases his talents in full.

“The Brutalist,” which was acquired by A24, hits theaters on December 20.