Escaping post-war Europe, visionary architect László Toth (Adrien Brody) arrives in America to rebuild his life, his work, and his marriage to his wife Erzsébet (Felicity Jones) after being forced apart during wartime by shifting borders and regimes. On his own in a strange new country, László settles in Pennsylvania, where the wealthy and prominent industrialist Harrison Lee Van Buren (Guy Pierce) recognizes his talent for building. But power and legacy come at a heavy cost…
With the monumental and Golden Globe winning The Brutalist finally releasing in Australian cinemas on January 23, Nick L’Barrow spoke with the film’s director, Brady Corbet, and co-writer, Mona Fastvold, about creating this ambitious project which tells a story that is eerily similar to their own filmmaking journey’s.

Nick: Brady, Mona, it’s such a pleasure to meet you both today!
Mona Fastvold: Thank you! Nice to meet you.
Brady Corbet: Nice to meet you, too.
Nick: Thank you so much for taking the time to chat! At it’s heart, The Brutalist is an immigrants story, but it’s also the story of a passionate artist and his desire to create. There are so many parallels that you can draw between architecture and filmmaking, like blueprints being a script, or construction being like filming. I’m curious to know how much of Lazlo Toth’s artistic journey is similar to your own filmmaking journey’s?
Mona Fastvold: I mean, we drew a lot from our own experiences writing the screenplay. And it was definitely a cathartic experience. We exorcised some demons through the process [laughs].
As you put it, so eloquently, it is a very similar process. Erecting a building, dealing with hundreds of people, gathering a crew, all working together to try and execute a very specific, and you know, unique vision. It definitely has a lot of similarities.
Brady Corbet: Yeah, every project you make is somewhat a hell of your own devising. And it’s a strange thing to be compelled to do over and over again. I feel like Sisyphys!
But, as an artist, there is also no great ecstasy than finishing. And everything that has followed [with The Brutalist] has been very moving. But the reality is, there is probably no greater day than the day we were finally done, and there was a tangible object. Ours was a 70mm print, or a 35mm print. It’s a very rewarding experience.
There’s a lot of extraordinary pleasure in crafting an object. You’re essentially pruning a tree for I don’t know how many years, and that’s really all it is. You work on every single little bit, every single day, until it’s done. But, as soon as you’re finished, you move onto something new almost immediately.
If you think about it, we’ve worked on this for seven years. And if we plan to have another film off the ground sometime in the next seven years [laughs], then we need to get started immediately. So, we never really have time to put our feet up and reflect. The only way is through.
There’s an interesting parallel within The Brutalist, and it is regarding Erzsebet [Felicity Jones]. In Psycho, Hitchcock killed off his female character within the first 40 minutes, and in this, you do the opposite almost by only showing Erzsebet on screen for the first time in the second half of the film, even though she is very much a presence in the first half. What was the inspiration behind that decision?
Brady Corbet: We actually stole that from Hitchcock! I’m not kidding! I’m totally serious. I reference the ‘Janet Leigh’ effect all the time, especially in my previous film, Vox Lux, because Natalie Portman didn’t even show up for the first hour of the picture, as well!
It’s sort of a magic trick. Imagine sending a screenplay to someone’s agent and saying, ‘Just flip to page 60 and then you’ll find the lead of the movie!’ It wasn’t a very popular move at the time! But movies used to take bigger risks than they do today. It’s incredible that 75 years ago, people were taking much bigger swings than they are now.
Mona Fastvold: Also, as you said, she’s very present from the beginning. And the idea was that you would anticipate her, you’re wondering about this character. You do get to know her through the letters, and you hear her voice, and there’s an intimacy in that. Hopefully, you understand their relationship, and the nature of its uniqueness, and see that journey continue when they’re reunited.
What was the appeal for you both about telling a story where the allure of the American dream can turn sour?
Brady Corbet: I think it’s because we’ve had plenty of the other side of that story, you know? The realist is, and I mean this is just from looking at data, we’ve been selling the ‘American Dream’ to 99% of the population that it doesn’t actually function for, and that’s just a fact.
Ecstasy is always accompanied with agony, and vice versa. Even though this character, in a way, is successful, that perceived success is very complicated. If we look at the film’s epilogue, he’s being recognised for his body of work, but he is a shell of himself towards the end of his life. What does he have to show for it? What is his legacy?
His legacy is his niece and his family. And our legacy is our daughter, who is 10 and a half years old. I think, because for some strange reasons we’re compelled to do what we do, it’s important for us to leave audiences with this character, and his wife, and the life for their family that they have paved the way for.
It is both optimistic and pessimistic. It’s minimalist and maximalist. It’s always both. And I think that films provoke really passionate conversations, both positive and negative, and I understand both interpretations of the film.
Thank you so much to Brady and Mona for their time, and to Universal Pictures for organising the interview. The Brutalist is in cinemas January 23.
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