“The Brutalist,” having just won Golden Globe awards for best drama, best director for Brady Corbet, and best actor in a drama for Adrien Brody, will open Thursday at the Sag Harbor Cinema. Mona Fastvold, the film’s co-writer, and Judy Becker, its production designer, will attend a special screening on Sunday at 3 p.m.
“Hailed as a new American masterpiece and called a ‘monumental’ achievement by Rolling Stone, The Guardian, The Daily Beast, Time Out, and The Hollywood Reporter, ‘The Brutalist’ was seven years in the making, shot in three countries in large-format VistaVision, and almost entirely independently financed,” says Giulia D’Agnolo Vallan, the cinema’s artistic director. “The depth, vigor, and boldness of its vision solidify 36-year-old Corbet as one of the most exciting and daring directors working in contemporary cinema and makes his collaboration with Ms. Fastvold an inspiring one to watch.”
Mr. Brody plays Laszlo Toth, a visionary architect who escapes from post-World War II Europe to the United States, where he seeks to rebuild his life, his work, and his marriage to Erzsebet (Felicity Jones) after they are separated during the war by shifting borders and regimes.
Laszlo settles in Pennsylvania, where a wealthy and prominent industrialist, played by Guy Pearce, recognizes his talent for building. But power and legacy come with a heavy cost.
The film premiered at the Venice Film Festival in September 2024, where it received the Silver Lion award. It also earned best film and best actor awards from the New York Film Critics Circle.
Ms. Fastvold is a director as well as a writer. She made her directorial debut in 2014 with “The Sleepwalker,” which she co-wrote with Mr. Corbet, who is her partner. The couple also co-wrote “The Childhood of a Leader” and “The Mustang,” which Mr. Corbet directed. Ms. Fastvold’s film “The World to Come,” a drama set in 19th-century rural New York State, premiered at the 2020 Venice Film Festival.
In addition to designing the visual concept of “The Brutalist,” Ms. Fastvold also developed and envisioned the architectural work of its protagonist.
Ms. Becker has collaborated multiple times with the director David O. Russell, among them on “American Hustle,” for which she received Oscar and BAFTA nominations, as well as “Silver Linings Playbook,” “The Fighter,” “Joy,” and “Amsterdam.” She has also worked with Todd Haynes, Ryan Murphy, Ang Lee, and Steve McQueen, among others.
A question-and-answer session with Ms. Fastvold and Ms. Becker will follow the screening.
