Adrien Brody's latest film, 'The Brutalist', premiered to an overwhelmingly positive reception at the Venice Film Festival, earning a record 12-minute standing ovation. The historical drama, directed by Brady Corbet, captivated audiences in the Main Competition section, leaving the actor visibly emotional as the applause continued.
According to a report by Variety, Brody was "overcome with emotion" as the audience's applause showed no signs of waning after the film's world premiere. The actor, seen wiping away tears, repeatedly tried to shift the spotlight to his director and co-stars, but the crowd's admiration remained firmly on him.
'The Brutalist' is a post-war epic that follows the journey of Laszlo Toth, a Holocaust survivor attempting to rebuild his life in America. Brody portrays Toth, while Felicity Jones plays his wife, Erzsebet. The film, spanning several decades, depicts Toth's struggle to pursue his art until he receives a pivotal contract from a wealthy industrialist, Harrison Lee Van Buren, played by Guy Pearce. The cast also includes Joe Alwyn and Alessandro Nivola.
Brody, who shares a personal connection with the story, described the role as one he felt an "immediate kinship and understanding for." His mother, photographer Sylvia Plachy, was a Hungarian immigrant who fled the country during the 1956 anti-Soviet revolution to start anew as an artist. "Even though it's fiction, it feels very real and very real to me," Brody said, emphasizing the importance of embodying the character authentically.
'The Brutalist', running 215 minutes with a 15-minute intermission and presented in 70mm VistaVision, arrived at Venice with high expectations. The film's ambition and Brody's performance received widespread praise. The decision to use the 70mm format, typically reserved for high-budget productions by directors like Christopher Nolan and Denis Villeneuve, was seen as a bold move for an independent film without U.S. distribution.
Director Brady Corbet, who had worked on the film for seven years, was also visibly emotional during the event. Wearing sunglasses, he spoke passionately about the project, which he described as defying conventional filmmaking norms. "This film does everything that we are told we are not allowed to do," Corbet said, dismissing concerns about the film's length. He expressed gratitude to the Venice Film Festival for its support, stating, "When no one was supporting these films, this festival was. It made my films possible."
'The Brutalist' is currently competing at the Venice Film Festival, which has already hosted a series of glamorous premieres, including Angelina Jolie's 'Maria', Nicole Kidman's 'Babygirl', Cate Blanchett's 'Disclaimer', and Jude Law's 'The Order', with more high-profile screenings to come.
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