Critique of Brady Corbet's film 'The Brutalist' examines historical inaccuracies and neoliberal narrative

Eva Díaz critiques Brady Corbet's film 'The Brutalist' for its historical inaccuracies and reductionist portrayal of architecture. The film follows fictional Hungarian Jewish architect László Tóth, played by Adrien Brody, who survives the Holocaust and emigrates to the US in the late-1940s. Tóth's architectural training at the Bauhaus is mentioned, though the film misrepresents the school's rejection of bourgeois beauty standards. Key historical errors include incorrect concentration camp locations for Hungarian Jews and anachronistic references to Brutalism, which emerged in 1953. The plot revolves around Tóth's exploitation by wealthy patron Harrison Lee Van Buren, played by Guy Pearce, and his wife Erzsébet, portrayed by Felicity Jones. Díaz notes the film ignores the successful émigré architect community, including converts like Marcel Breuer and Louis Kahn, and omits Zionist architects in Tel Aviv. The review highlights incongruous details like free jazz in 1950s clubs and AI-generated building designs. Díaz argues the film promotes a neoliberal fantasy of isolated genius rather than acknowledging architectural communities. The epilogue jumps to the 1980 Architectural Biennale in Venice, where Tóth's work is celebrated. The film's budget was eleven million dollars, with factual inaccuracies regarding Holocaust history and architectural timelines.