The Brutalist

What’s it about?

After visionary architect László Tóth is separated from his family after WW2, he hopes to meet them in the Unites States, where he struggles to fulfill the American dream until his life is changed by a rich and mysterious client.

The facts

• Directed by Brady Corbet (Vox Lux)
• Starring Adrien Brody (The Pianist), Felicity Jones (Rogue One: A Star Wars Story), Guy Pearce (Memento), Joe Alwyn (The Favourite), Raffey Cassidy (The Killing of a Sacred Deer), Ariane Labed (The Lobster), and Alessandro Nivola (American Hustle)
• Languages: English, Italian, Hungarian, Hebrew, Yiddish
• Runtime: 215 minutes
• Produced by A24 (Everything Everywhere All At Once, Lady Bird, Moonlight)

Why did it get this rating?

This film was cross-rated by the Film and Video Labelling Body. You can find out more about cross-rating here.

The Brutalist explores heavy themes such as struggle, trauma, and the complexities of post-war life. Some scenes as well as certain elements like suspenseful music might unsettle some viewers.

Rape

The film includes sexual violence depictions, and although they are not graphic, these moments may be disturbing for viewers.

While drunk and on heroin, a man is raped by another man whom he thought was his friend. No skin or nudity is shown, however, we see the victim trying to resist, reaching backwards. This scene is drawn-out and slow, the act of rape is the focus. The rapist insults and degrades him repeatedly during the scene and the victim is later treated as though nothing happened to him.

A teenage girl is seen returning to her family whilst buttoning her skirt with a concerned look on her face, followed by a man. It is implied that they had sex but it is unclear whether it was consensual.

Consent is unclear in another scene which involves a wife making her husband visibly uncomfortable by masturbating him, while the camera focuses on their faces.

Sex scenes

There are sex scenes with nudity including breasts, buttocks, and at one point, the top of a man’s penis can be seen as a prostitute performs oral sex. No other genitals can be seen clearly. Pubic hair is shown from a distance but is usually blurred.

The strongest moments of sex include:

• A main character watches a vintage porn film, clearly shown, that depicts a man and two women, all naked and lying on each other.
• Masturbation occurs out of view, however, characters clearly tremble and moan and a woman's head is covered in a bedsheet for pleasurable purposes.
• Two main characters have sex under the influence of drugs.

Drug use

Some of the strongest moments of drug use include:

• We see a character heat heroin and inject it into their body a few times. The needle is not shown piercing the skin, but we see it removed once.
• A man is seen developing an addiction to the heroin given to him by his friend, later purchasing his own. Eventually, he is seen expressing anger and agitation towards his friends, supposedly due to his addiction.
• A man decides to inject heroin into his wife’s arm while she is unaware, due to her severe pain. This drug remedies her pain and she smiles with relief and relaxation. He later finds her on the toilet unconscious and foaming at the mouth from an overdose.
• A main character reaches a severe drunken state, vomiting, spitting, and unable to walk.
• Many characters smoke and drink alcohol simultaneously

Suicide themes

At the end of the film, people search for a character who has disappeared. Though the film ends before we are shown if he was found or not, it is implied that he has committed suicide. This may be upsetting for some viewers.

Youth Advisory Panel comments

We were grateful to have two Youth Advisor Panel members attend the classification screening with Te Mana Whakaatu staff.

They thought that if 16-year-olds were to watch the film, they might be shocked at some scenes, especially when the man is raped.

They also thought that the act of sex itself occurring on-screen was more impactful than seeing the genitals and nudity.

Though drugs appeared often, it was the use of drugs between the husband and wife that stood out the most for them. They were worried other teenage viewers might perceive the casual use of drugs as “cool” and more appealing than they are in real life. They also thought the old method of drug application (using a large metal heroin needle) and the sharing of heroin needles looked unsafe.

Discriminatory comments were also impactful for them.

Helplines:

The themes of sexual violence and suicide could be particularly upsetting for some viewers, especially for those who have gone through similar experiences. If you are struggling with what you have seen on-screen or something you’ve watched is weighing on your mind, please reach out for help. If you or someone you know needs to talk:

• 1737
• Safe to talk
• Lifeline
• Youthline

Further information:

• Why are ratings and content warnings important for me and my whānau?
• Brain development – how it works, why it matters
• Young New Zealanders Viewing Sexual Violence - Stage 2 | Classification Office