SPOILER WARNING: The next article accommodates spoilers for The Brutalist. In case you have not but seen the movie, proceed at your individual threat!
In case you have a number of questions after watching the tip of Brady Corbet’s The Brutalist, it is best to know that you just’re not solely alone. There’s a sure stage of ambiguity within the pre-epilogue conclusion of the story, which sees Felicity Jones’ Erzsébet Tóth confront Man Pearce’s Harrison Lee Van Buren about raping her husband and the accused man then mysteriously disappearing. The destiny of Pearce’s character is not made solely clear within the film – however in keeping with co-star Joe Alwyn there was extra readability within the script than what’s offered on the large display screen.
In The Brutalist, the actor performs Harry Lee Van Buren, the son of Harrison Lee Van Buren, and in a current interview with The Hollywood Reporter, he gives up some readability about what occurs to his on-screen father. On the finish of the movie, a search social gathering canvasses the epic concrete building designed by Adrien Brody’s László Tóth in search of Harrison, however we do not see if their search is fruitful. Alwyn says that there was much less thriller within the script, however he has no challenge with how the fabric is offered:
I had a textual content from a good friend asking me the identical factor yesterday. I feel within the script it’s most likely clearer than is proven on display screen. There’s a line, perhaps it’s even buried someplace within the movie, once they’re looking for him and somebody says, ‘We discovered one thing.’ I don’t keep in mind if it was as express as, ‘We discovered a physique,’ however I feel the implication is that he’s killed himself. However I fairly like that it’s opaque, and also you don’t finish on a shot of him on this monument, lifeless. However yeah, I’m fairly positive that’s what [the ending is].
Personally talking, that was my takeaway from my screening of The Brutalist as properly. The film would not be certain that the viewers is aware of precisely what occurs to Harrison Lee Van Buren, however the implication that he takes his personal life are there.
However that is not the solely query that Joe Alwyn has fielded in regards to the finish of The Brutalist, and he explains within the commerce interview that he has additionally been requested about Harry’s excessive response to Erzsébet Tóth’s accusations. He did not think about that his character was additionally a sufferer of sexual assault by Harrison when he was capturing the film, however he thinks it is a legitimate factor to contemplate. Mentioned Alwyn,
A few folks have truly requested me in regards to the second between Harry and Erzsébet on the finish, when he takes her out of the home. His response is so huge to the accusations in opposition to his dad and some folks have stated, is that as a result of he has skilled one thing related previously? And it’s not one thing that I gave an enormous quantity of thought to whereas capturing it, however I discovered that an fascinating commentary. It does make sense, I feel, and it’s form of threaded all through, however it was by no means there within the script. Brady by no means stated something about it. There’s a combination of anger and shock and disgrace, however maybe there’s some form of buried trauma there as properly.
It is an fascinating tackle only one explicit aspect of The Brutalist, and cinephiles can doubtless anticipate to see much more takes in regards to the film within the coming months, because it has been extensively celebrated and has arrived in theaters on an enormous wave of buzz following fall competition screenings. The film is now out in restricted launch as a part of an award qualifying run, and it will likely be going nationwide in IMAX on January 24, 2025.