The Brutalist’s title has a deeper meaning that fans might have missed

The Brutalist is one of the films from 2024 that received positive critical response and many accolades. The period drama was helmed by Brady Corbet, who also wrote it with Mona Fastvold. The film was released by A24 on December 20, 2024. Here's the official synopsis:

A visionary architect flees post-war Europe in 1947 for a brighter future in the United States and finds his life forever changed by a wealthy client.

The film grossed $50.2 million at the box office and won three Oscars in Best Actor, Best Original Score, and Best Cinematography. Let's explore the meaning behind its title.

The actual meaning behind The Brutalist title

A still from The Brutalist | Image via A24 YouTube

The Brutalist refers to brutalism, which is a style of architecture that emerged in the 20th century. It focuses on geometrical forms, textures, and materials. The movement particularly took place in Europe in the 1950s, and in the film, László Tóth (played by Adrien Brody). The movement began in Britain right after the Second World War and had a very minimalistic approach when it came to design. This was the polar opposite of the large and decorative style of architecture in the 18th as well as 19th centuries.

Besides that, the title of the film might also refer to the brutalism of things in general. Tóth realizes that the American dream is not that easy to achieve, and life is not all rosy. He goes through the struggle and emerges from it. Certain characters, including Tóth and Van Buren, are brutal in their behavior, and it's reflected in their actions. Through the protagonist, we also see how wealth can change a person. Tóth changes and starts becoming someone he used to condemn. His architectural design is minimalistic, and it's an allegory for his isolation from everyone.

More about The Brutalist

The Brutalist is produced by Brady Corbet, Nick Gordon, D. J. Gugenheim, Brian Young, Trevor Matthews, Andrew Morrison, Andrew Lauren and D. J. Gugenheim. The cast members of the film include,

Adrien Brody as László Tóth
Felicity Jones as Erzsébet Tóth
Guy Pearce as Harrison Lee Van Buren
Joe Alwyn as Harry Lee Van Buren
Raffey Cassidy as Zsófia
Stacy Martin as Maggie Van Buren
Alessandro Nivola as Attila Miller
Emma Laird as Audrey Miller
Isaach de Bankolé as Gordon

Corbet spoke to THR about focusing on the brutalist architectural movement in the film. He said,

"There’s a few things I’m very interested in. The film is about how the artistic experience and immigrant experience march in lockstep, which is to say that, in general, if someone moves into a suburban town in America and they don’t look like everybody else — because of the color of their skin or because of their beliefs or traditions — everybody wants them to get the f*ck out. With Brutalism in the 1950s, when people were erecting these monuments, many people wanted them torn down immediately. Now, there is a very interesting thing which has been happening and I don’t know how much people are following it."

What do you feel about the significance of the film's title?