After seven years of delays and a complete recasting, “The Brutalist” finally went into production in 2023 and is now in cinemas. It was filmed across Hungary and within the marble city of Carrara, Italy, with its unmistakable Apuan Alps skyline.
The film tells the story of László Toth (played by Adrien Brody, Academy Award winner for Best Actor in 2003 for “The Pianist”), a Hungarian Jewish architect who, after escaping antisemitic persecution, arrives in the United States in 1947 with his wife. The events span a period of thirty years, during which Toth’s life undergoes a radical transformation, evolving from poverty to becoming a renowned modern architect.
In the United States, Toth’s encounter with wealthy Pennsylvania businessman Van Buren marks a turning point in his life and career. Van Buren commissions the architect to design an imposing modernist monument—a single marble block destined to tower over the hill where his mansion is located. The structure is conceived as a multifunctional building, combining a place of worship, a library, an auditorium and a gymnasium.
