Thanks to its 3-hour-and-35-minute runtime, its ambitious story spanning three decades, and its star-studded cast, writer-director Brady Corbet’s The Brutalist is nothing short of an awards season behemoth. The film follows a firing-on-all-cylinders Adrien Brody as architect and Hungarian Jewish immigrant László Toth, who abandons post-World War II Europe for Pennsylvania circa 1947. There, he’s commissioned to work for the industrialist Harrison Lee Van Buren (Guy Pearce), but the new life he thought he’d create in America is elusive—particularly as his wife and niece remain trapped at the Austrian border. As Brody put it in the film’s press notes, “It’s a journey of a refugee connected to his past who has also been stripped of his past. He’s trying to find his way in a new land with a new set of rules.”
After The Brutalist took home multiple major awards this season, the buzz for the film only continued to grow, culminating in Oscar wins for Best Actor (Adrien Brody), Best Cinematography (Lol Crawley), and Original Score (Daniel Blumberg). “I believe if the past can teach us anything it’s a reminder to not let hate go unchecked,” Brody said in a record-setting five minute and 40-second long speech.
Brody’s wins across this season’s Golden Globes, BAFTAs, and Critics Choice Awards only cemented him as a frontrunner in the Best Actor category. At this year’s Oscars, the film was nominated for 10 awards, including Best Picture, Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Guy Pearce), Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Felicity Jones), Best Directing (Brady Corbet), and more.
To get in on the conversation, here’s how to watch the film. (Just don’t forget to take a bathroom break during the 15-minute intermission.)
How can I watch The Brutalist?
The Brutalist premiered to critical acclaim at the 81st Venice International Film Festival in September 2024, and debuted in select U.S. theaters—distributed by A24—in December 2024. As of March 2025, The Brutalist is still available to watch in theaters.
Is The Brutalist available to stream?
Thanks to A24’s exclusive deal with Warner Bros. Discovery, fans can expect the film to stream as part of a Max subscription on the WBD-owned platform sometime in 2025. In the meantime, audiences at home can now rent or purchase the film through video-on-demand platforms such as Apple TV, YouTube, and Amazon Prime Video.
