Considering its lengthy runtime,The Brutalistdoesn’t indulge in overt and lengthy exposition. Instead, it acts as an unfiltered portrayal of László Toth’s (Adrien Brody) life and encourages the audience to decipher the subtext. This format allows the movie to serve as a metaphor for hidden discrimination and how people’s actions and motivations don’t always align. This is certainly the case for Harrison Lee Van Buren (Guy Pearce), the eccentric business tycoon whotakes László in and funds his architecture.On the surface, Van Buren appears as pleasant and welcoming, but small microaggressions flood the pair’s dynamic, suggesting his motivations center around control. Theirrelationship is uncomfortable to watch, yet there is one particularly devastating scene that sees Harrison rape an intoxicated László. The impact of the scene only serves to reiterate what the movie has already portrayed but does so inan extremely horrific moment that simply feels tonally displaced from the rest of the movie.
Guy Pearce Shows the Underlying Threat of Politeness
The Brutalisthandles the subtext of power with care and sensitivity, which allows the undercurrent of threat to feel even more impactful. When Harrison is first introduced, he sees László working in the library on the Van Buren estate.Guy’s Pearce performanceimmediately indicates Harrison’s short fuse and his uncomfortability with not being involved in decisions. He is dismissive of László and his cousin Attila (Alessandro Nivola) and gets increasingly agitated by their presence. However, after the architectural community praises László’s design, Harrison soon changes his mind and consequently alters his communication with László.
Their consequential conversations are much more placid, with Harrison complimenting László on his work and his intelligence. Yet, some of his phrasing signifies a deeper admiration, particularly Pearce’s delivery of Harrison telling László their conversations are “intellectually stimulating”. Van Buren does whatever he can to keep László around, giving him a lengthy architectural project and showing he is willing tohelp László in bringing his wifeand niece to America. At first, it appears Harrison is genuinely fond of László, yet.Among the niceties are microaggressions that show Van Buren is merely asserting dominance and his true desire is to control László.Their conversations also hint towards his admiration turning sexual, but it feels purposefully ambiguous and nuanced, as though his attraction towards László comes from jealousy over his creativity and an intense desire for control over him.
László’s Assault Wasn’t Necessary in ‘The Brutalist’
Theuncomfortableness of their relationship builds uptoThe Brutalist’s most harrowing moment. László travels to Italy to meet with a fellow creative who sells marble. Harrison travels with him and appears unsettled by the way László speaks to the salesman, this is only heightened later that night, when he sees an intoxicated László dancing with a woman. Seemingly upset by his loss of authority over László, Harrison follows him outside and proceeds to rape him in the street.At this moment,the subtext of their dynamic becomes overt text,there is no room for interpretation, instead it is simply the bleak truth.
Although this scene represents thetrue intentions of Harrison’s interactions with Lászlóand the viciousness of his desire for power.The Brutalistdoes such a good job of hinting at this undercurrent of dominance without the need for such a devastating visual. It results in the scene feeling tonally out of place and thrown in simply to allow the story to crawl to its conclusion. The contrast of it feels like misery for misery’s sake, which catches the audience off-guard for the wrong reasons.The Brutalistwould have been just as successful without the scene, and none of the thematic ideas would’ve been sacrificed, the concept of invisible discrimination would have actually been stronger. Instead, the scene feeds into negative queer stereotypes that focus on the defamatory portrayal of homosexuality.Metaphorically, Harrison’s relationship with László is an emotional assault focused on asserting control and dominance,andThe Brutalistuses subtext to show how he abused László’s good nature and humility. The abruptness of the rape wasn’t needed to confirm and just feels out of place.
The Brutalist
The Brutalist follows visionary architect László Toth and his wife Erzsébet as they flee Europe, aiming to rebuild their legacy in modern America. Their journey takes an unexpected turn when a mysterious and wealthy client alters the course of their lives, intertwining ambition with the challenges of a new world.
