One of the biggest (and longest—215 minutes!) movies of the year is finally coming to our screens. Yes, it’s only January, but we stand by it.
How to watch The Brutalist in Australia
The Brutalist is arriving in Australian cinemas on January 23, 2025.
The Brutalist
What is The Brutalist about?
Architecture!
Well, sort of. The film follows Adrien Brody’s preternaturally gifted immigrant architect from the immediate aftermath of World War II, as he carves out a life for himself, battling addiciton, post-Holocaust trauma, and the predations of the monied and ruthless, principally in the form of Guy Pearce’s robber baron. It’s a big, sprawling historical epic, taking in themes of fascism, capitalism, antisemitism, and more. This marks the third film from actor-turned-director Brady Corbet, who also gave us The Childhood of a Leader and Vox Lux, so expect a cerebral and unsettling cinematic experience.
The cast of The Brutalist
Adrien Brody is Hungarian-Jewish architect and Holocaust survivor László Tóth; Felicity Jones is Erzsébet Tóth, his wife; Guy Pearce is wealthy industrialist Harrison Lee Van Buren, his chief patron; Joe Alwyn is Harry Lee Van Buren, Harrison’s asshole son; Stacy Martin as Maggie Van Buren, Harry’s twin sister; Raffey Cassidy is Zsófia, László’s mute niece, with Ariane Labed playing the adult Zsófia; Alessandro Nivola is Attila, László’s cousin; with Michael Epp, Jonathan Hyde, Peter Polycarpou, Maria Sand, and Salvatore Sansone in support.
The Brutalist trailer
Why we’re excited about The Brutalist
Well, look, we simply don’t get films of this kind of scope and artistic ambition too often, do we? The critical community are falling all over themselves to laud the thing, and a strong festival season run promises that it’ll do well at the Oscars. It’s being released in 70mm in some markets, too, so try and get along to that. And don’t let the running time put you off—there is an intermission.
