Adrien Brody, Felicity Jones, Guy Pearce, Joe Alwyn, Raffey Cassidy
Escaping post-war Europe, visionary architect László Toth arrives in America to rebuild his life, his work, and his marriage to his wife Erzsébet after being forced apart during wartime by shifting borders and regimes. On his own in a strange new country, László settles in Pennsylvania, where the wealthy and prominent industrialist Harrison Lee Van Buren recognises his talent for building. But power and legacy come at a heavy cost…
Adrien Brody (Oscar winner for The Pianist, a role which may register as a kind of prequel to viewers here) plays Toth, with Felicity Jones as Erzsébet and Guy Pearce as Van Buren in Brady Corbet’s (The Childhood of a Leader, Vox Lux) monumental drama. An electrifying study of 20th century immigration, of the experience of Jewishness and of post-war assimilation in 20th century America, it’s a story vast in scope – brilliantly performed (with a wider cast including Isaach de Bankolé, Stacy Martin, Alessandro Nivola and Joe Alwyn), evocatively shot on 70mm film and richly drawn in a way that fully earns its expansive 215-minute run time.
Please note: There is a 15-minute interval in this film.