What Is ‘The Brutalist’ Trying to Say With Its Ending?
Adrien Brody receives a well-earned Academy Award nomination for Best Actor for his powerful performance in ‘The Brutalist’. The epic, which lasts almost four hours, examines immigration, the conflict between art and business, and the gradual deterioration of the American dream. Brody plays Hungarian architect László Tóth, who must negotiate the challenges of post-war America. From an impoverished refugee looking for a new beginning to an unyielding artist, his character experiences a significant metamorphosis before ultimately becoming a man weighed down by pain and addiction.
Under the careful guidance of filmmaker Brady Corbet, László’s voyage develops into a sobering criticism of capitalism. But in a shocking twist, the movie’s ending casts him in a supporting role, leaving viewers to wonder why his storyline isn’t addressed. According to Corbet, this absence illustrates how creative perspectives are frequently ignored in the business sector.
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The Brutalist sticks to a simple storytelling style in spite of its expansive scale. The first half of the movie shows László’s ascent with his wife, Erzsébet (Felicity Jones), but the second part takes a more eerie and fantastical turn. It explores his issues of faith, substance misuse, and the fallout from his association with Harrison Lee Van Buren (Guy Pearce), a wealthy benefactor.
Although Erzsébet’s encounter with Harrison is crucial, the movie skips ahead 20 years to a Venice retrospective of László’s art rather than focusing on his immediate aftermath. Zsófia, his niece, presents his finished arts centre, presenting it as a representation of the tragedy of the Holocaust. She makes the startling claim that meaning is defined by the destination rather than the journey in a powerful moment, which is ironic considering the film’s sudden narrative turn.
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Instead of offering a resolution, Corbet’s epilogue purposefully defies expectations. The film emphasizes how László’s identity is progressively destroyed by leaving out significant events from his later years, which supports Erzsébet’s request that he seek safety in Jerusalem. Although his personal journey is overlooked, his work endures.
This reflects Corbet’s own battles for artistic freedom as a filmmaker. The last scene highlights how art is frequently recycled and reworked for outside goals by switching to low-resolution footage and an outdated disco song. Even though ‘The Brutalist’ has a daring and unorthodox ending, it solidifies its status as a movie that is open to countless interpretations and discussions.
–Farheen Ali
