Movie review
December 20, 2024 · 215 min · R
Woke Score
Lower is better
Review
The Brutalist is a nearly four-hour epic drama about Hungarian-Jewish Holocaust survivor and architect László Tóth, who emigrates to post-war America in 1947 and rebuilds his career by designing a monumental Brutalist community center for a wealthy industrialist patron. The narrative spans decades of trauma, family reunion, addiction, and artistic struggle against power imbalances in 1950s-1970s America. Themes of antisemitism and capitalist exploitation appear visibly and recurringly through character conflicts and the immigrant experience.
Breakdown
These are the editorial factors and ratings behind our score for The Brutalist.
Woke representation / casting
Casting matches the historical Jewish immigrant story world with no forced diversity or mismatches.
Woke political dialogue
Dialogue includes historical antisemitism and class resentment but stays within story context without modern activist language.
Identity-driven story themes
Jewish survivor trauma and family arcs are central but remain tied to historical events and premise.
Western institutional / cultural critique
Portrays American capitalism and elite power as exploitative and hypocritical in the period setting.
Woke character or canon changes
Not relevant
Anti-woke backlash and complaints
No meaningful backlash claiming the title is too woke or pushes identity politics.
Creator track record context
Corbet and Fastvold's prior work shows interest in power imbalances and American themes.
Production
