It’s rare for a three-and-a-half-hour historical epic to feel like a viral event, but here we are. When the first official trailer for The Brutalist dropped, it didn't just promote a movie; it signaled a shift in what audiences are actually willing to sit through. Brady Corbet’s film has been the talk of the festival circuit—Venice, Telluride, TIFF—and now that the public has seen the footage, the hype is reaching a fever pitch.
Honestly, it’s about time.
The trailer introduces us to László Tóth, played by Adrien Brody in what critics are calling a career-defining turn. He’s a Hungarian-born Jewish architect who survives the Holocaust and arrives in America in 1947. He’s got nothing. No money. No status. Just a vision for a country that doesn't quite know what to do with him yet. The footage is grainy, shot on 35mm VistaVision, and it looks like it was pulled directly from a time capsule found under the floorboards of a 1950s construction site.
What the Trailer for The Brutalist Actually Tells Us
If you watch it closely, the trailer for The Brutalist isn't your typical "hero’s journey" montage. It’s jagged. It’s loud. The score by Daniel Blumberg hits you like a physical weight. We see László reuniting with his wife, Erzsébet (Felicity Jones), and getting entangled with a wealthy, mercurial patron named Harrison Lee Van Buren, played by Guy Pearce.
Pearce looks like he’s having the time of his life being absolutely terrifying.
The central conflict revolves around a massive commission: a community center that is meant to be a masterpiece of Brutalist architecture. But as the trailer hints, the cost of building something that lasts forever is usually paid in blood and sanity. You’ve probably seen the shots of the raw concrete—the "beton brut"—that gives the film its name. It’s not just a style; it’s a metaphor for the immigrant experience. Hard. Unyielding. Unapologetic.
Why the 70mm Aspect Matters
You might notice the frame looks a bit different. Corbet insisted on shooting this in a widescreen format that demands a big screen. In an era where most things are shot digitally to look "clean," this movie looks intentionally tactile. You can almost feel the dust from the quarry. The trailer leans into this, showing off the massive scale of the sets and the intimacy of the character beats.
It’s a bold choice.
Most studios would shy away from a film that requires an intermission. Yes, a real, honest-to-god 15-minute intermission. The trailer doesn't explicitly mention the break, but it conveys the "bigness" of the story. It spans thirty years. It covers the transformation of the American landscape. It’s the kind of cinema we used to call "The Great American Novel" on film.
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Breaking Down the Cast and the Stakes
Adrien Brody hasn’t had a role this meatily dramatic since The Pianist. You can see it in his eyes in every frame of the trailer for The Brutalist—there’s a frantic, desperate energy there. He’s playing a man who has already lost everything once and is terrified of losing his soul to the "American Dream."
- Guy Pearce is the antagonist, but not a cartoon villain. He represents the capital and the ego that fuels great art.
- Felicity Jones provides the emotional anchor, showing the toll that survival takes on a marriage.
- Joe Alwyn and Alessandro Nivola pop up in supporting roles that seem to flesh out the mid-century social hierarchy.
The trailer highlights the tension between the artist and the benefactor. It’s a classic theme, but handled with a modern, almost brutalist (pun intended) lack of sentimentality. People aren't just "good" or "bad" here. They're complicated, selfish, and driven by visions they can't quite explain to anyone else.
The Visual Language of Post-War Ambition
There is a specific shot in the trailer where the camera sweeps across a construction site. It’s not CGI. It looks real because it mostly is. The production design by Judy Becker is doing heavy lifting here. We’re seeing the birth of the modern world, and it looks messy.
The color palette is muted—lots of greys, deep browns, and the flickering light of old cigarettes. It feels lived-in. When people search for the trailer for The Brutalist, they are often looking for that specific "vibe." It’s "prestige" in the best way possible. It doesn't feel like a movie made by a committee. It feels like a fever dream.
A Quick Reality Check on "Brutalism"
Some people think "Brutalism" just means "ugly concrete buildings." That’s a common misconception. The term actually comes from the French béton brut, meaning raw concrete. It was about honesty in materials. No wallpaper. No fake facades. Just the structure.
The movie uses this architectural philosophy to mirror László’s life. He’s a "raw" human being. He’s been stripped of the decorative elements of his life—his home, his status, his safety—and he’s trying to build something honest out of what’s left. The trailer captures this beautifully by focusing on the textures of the world around him.
Why Is Everyone Talking About the Runtime?
215 minutes.
That’s a long time to spend in a theater. Some people are complaining, but honestly? In a world of 10-hour Netflix shows that could have been 2-hour movies, there is something refreshing about a filmmaker saying, "This story needs exactly 215 minutes."
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The trailer for The Brutalist manages to compress that massive scale into a few minutes without making it feel like a SparkNotes version of the plot. It gives you the atmosphere. It gives you the stakes. It leaves you wanting to see how those three decades actually play out. It’s the "Oppenheimer" effect—audiences are proving they will show up for long, complex stories if the craft is there.
The A24 Factor
Distribution matters. A24 picked this up after its Venice win, and they know exactly how to market this kind of thing. They aren't trying to sell it as a standard biopic. They’re selling it as an event. They want you to feel like you’re missing out on a piece of cultural history if you don’t see it. The trailer reflects that "elevated" branding.
Comparing it to Other Historical Epics
If you liked There Will Be Blood or The Godfather, this is likely in your wheelhouse. It has that same sense of historical weight. It’s about the soul of a nation being forged in real-time.
Unlike many biopics that feel like they are checking boxes off a Wikipedia page, the trailer for The Brutalist suggests a much more internal, psychological journey. It’s not just about what László built; it’s about what the building did to him.
Many critics have noted that the film feels like it was made in the 1970s—the golden age of the American auteur. There’s a grit to it that you don't see in the shiny, over-lit period pieces that usually come out during Oscar season.
Key Takeaways from the Footage
Watching the trailer for The Brutalist several times reveals a few things you might miss on a first pass.
- The sound design is intense. Every clink of a chisel and every roar of an engine is heightened. It’s an immersive experience.
- The chemistry is volatile. The scenes between Brody and Pearce feel like they could explode at any second. It’s a power struggle masquerading as a collaboration.
- The architecture is a character. The building isn't just a backdrop. It changes as the characters change. It grows as they grow—or as they fall apart.
There’s a shot toward the end of the trailer of a finished structure that is honestly breathtaking. It’s imposing and beautiful all at once. It makes you realize why someone would ruin their life to see it finished.
Actionable Steps for Cinema Fans
If the trailer for The Brutalist has you hooked, here is how to actually prep for the experience:
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- Find a 70mm screening. If you live near a major city, do whatever you have to do to see this on film. The 35mm VistaVision source material is designed for massive projection. Digital won't do it justice.
- Don't skip the intermission. It’s built into the pacing of the film. Use it to stretch, grab a coffee, and let the first half sink in.
- Read up on Marcel Breuer. While László Tóth is a fictional character, he is heavily inspired by real-world architects of the era. Understanding the actual Brutalist movement will give you a lot more context for the design choices in the film.
- Track the release date. A24 is doing a staggered release. Check your local indie theater’s calendar because this might not hit the big chains immediately.
The trailer for The Brutalist is a promise of a certain kind of movie-going experience that we don't get much anymore. It’s a challenge to the audience to pay attention, to sit still, and to witness a massive, messy, beautiful life. Whether it lives up to the festival hype remains to be seen for the general public, but the footage suggests we’re looking at a future classic.
Get your tickets early. This is going to be the one everyone is arguing about at dinner parties for the next year.
How to Follow the Film's Journey
Keep an eye on the official A24 social channels. They’ve been releasing "behind the scenes" snippets that focus on the technical aspects of the VistaVision cameras. For film nerds, that stuff is gold. It shows the sheer physical effort required to move those massive cameras around a set. It makes you appreciate the final product even more.
Also, look for interviews with Brady Corbet. He’s incredibly articulate about his influences—ranging from Fassbinder to Kubrick. Understanding his "why" helps make sense of the "how" you see on screen. The trailer for The Brutalist is just the tip of the iceberg. The real depth is in the hours of footage that follow that initial, haunting hook.
Don't go in expecting a light afternoon at the movies. Go in expecting to be overwhelmed. That's clearly what the filmmakers intended.
Final thought for those ready to watch: Bring a notebook or just clear your head afterward. You’re going to want to talk about it, but you might need a few minutes of silence first to process the sheer scale of what you just saw. This isn't just a movie; it's a monument.
To get the most out of your screening, look for theaters that specialize in "event cinema." Often, these venues will provide program notes or host talk-backs after the film. Given the complexity of the themes—immigration, religion, art, and capitalism—having a space to discuss the film can turn a long sitting into a transformative experience. Check the official film website for a list of verified 70mm projection locations to ensure you're seeing the intended visual fidelity.