Director Brady Corbet gave not one but two acceptance speeches at The Golden Globes, as he won for Best Director and his film, The Brutalist, won Best Motion Picture Drama. Star Adrien Brody also won Best Actor Motion Picture Drama. There were two predominant themes amongst those three speeches: that immigrant stories matter, and that film studios should take more chances on filmmakers’ artistic visions (especially when their ideas don’t seem as commercially viable). Those who have seen the two-part period drama know that these themes also manifest in the epic story of fictional architect, László Tóth.

In a year with no clear Best Picture frontrunner, however, it remains to be seen how much The Brutalist’s success will repeat at the Oscars. Antonio, Greg, P.T., and I do debate how well the film famously shot in VistaVision on an astoundingly small $10 million budget will fare on Hollywood’s biggest night. But before we do, we carefully unpack all of the film’s complicated themes and narrative choices.

Oscar Nom Wishes 3:25-25:24

Spoiler Free Takes: 25:25-44:04

SPOILER MODE: 44:05-1:45:52

Oscar Watch: 1:45:53 - the end

Image Credit: Vanity Fair

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