In December 2024, director Brady Corbet released “The Brutalist” to great critical praise. The film follows the fictional story of László Tóth, played by Adrien Brody. László is a talented Jewish Hungarian architect who was forced to flee during World War II.

The Brutalist is a complex, layered film dealing with somber themes, making it all the more surprising that it’s only the third feature-length outing for director Brady Corbet. What’s even more astonishing is Corbet’s career trajectory.

Why Brady Corbet’s 215-minute masterpiece deserves to win the Oscar for Best Picture - OSCARS 2025: The dense and stylish period epic starring Adrien Brody is going into the Oscar weekend no longer as the Best Picture

In a film built upon the ambitious aspirations of post-World War ll America, director Brady Corbet tells a story in “The Brutalist” of a 1950s Architect immigrating from Europe, attempting to piece together his life after the holocaust.

Felicity Jones plays the role of Erzsébet Tóth, whose husband is László Tóth (played by Brody). This role earned the English actress an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress. The film was released on December 20, 2024, by A24 and grossed over $40 million against a $10 million budget. Here is the official synopsis as per Letterboxd:

The Brutalist earned 10 Oscar nominations at this year’s Academy Awards. Look out for wins in the best picture, production design, music, film editing, original screenplay, cinematography, directing, supporting actress (Felicity Jones), supporting actor (Guy Pearce), and actor (Adrien Brody) categories.

As the Oscars approach, the winners remain wildly unpredictable. If one thing is certain, however, it's that Brady Corbet should win for 'Best Director'.