What The Picture In The Brutalist’s Intermission Is & Why It Matters

Leaving one picture on the screen throughout The Brutalist’s entire intermission is incredibly meaningful for the story of the film. The story of The Brutalist follows László Tóth, an architect and Holocaust survivor who immigrates to America after World War II. After settling in Pennsylvania and beginning work on an ambitious project for a wealthy businessman, László attempts to get his wife, Erzsébet, and his niece, Zsófia, to America as well. Reviews for The Brutalist have been incredible, and have noted that the film both beautifully and tragically depicts the immigrant experience.

Throughout awards season, The Brutalist has become one of the frontrunners to win Best Picture at the 2025 Academy Awards. The Brutalist has stood out among other 2024 movies because of how unique its structure is. The Brutalist has a long runtime of 3 hours and 35 minutes. Since the beginning to the end of The Brutalist is an incredibly long journey, director Brady Corbet decided to include an intermission in the film. The picture that is shown onscreen during The Brutalist’s intermission provides a sense of hope and is the perfect image to ingrain into the audience’s minds.

The Brutalist’s Intermission Is A Picture Of László & Erzsébet’s Wedding

Erzsébet Finally Arrives In America Halfway Through The Brutalist

After being separated from Erzsébet during the Holocaust, László is relieved to learn that his wife is still alive upon his arrival in America. However, getting her and Zsófia to America proves to be difficult. Throughout the first half of The Brutalist, László spends years building a life in America without his wife and niece. After he starts working with Harrison, the Pennsylvania businessman’s lawyer offers to help László.

Therefore, after spending the entire first half of the movie only communicating through letters, Erzsébet and Zsófia finally get approved to come to America for the second half. Erzsébet is actually not seen in the first half of The Brutalist, so including a picture of her and László’s wedding day is a clever way of introducing her to the audience. László and Erzsébet’s wedding picture is also a great image to examine throughout the intermission before the dramatic second half of The Brutalist.

The Brutalist’s Intermission Picture Helps Bring Erzsébet & Zsófia To America

László & Erzsébet’s Wedding Picture Is Important To The Brutalist’s Story

Including László and Erzsébet’s wedding picture onscreen during The Brutalist’s intermission is not completely random. In fact, the picture is extremely important for The Brutalist’s plot since it helps bring Erzsébet and Zsófia to America. The specific picture shown during The Brutalist’s intermission is used as proof that Erzsébet and Zsófia are related to László. Therefore, after spending years apart after the horrific events of the Holocaust, seeing the wedding picture onscreen during the intermission provides a sense of hope to audience members.

The Brutalist’s first half ends right as László and Erzsébet are going to reunite. This was actually a very clever decision by Corbet since it makes the audience wait for their eventual reunion. By doing this, the audience gets to put themselves in László’s shoes since he waited years to see his wife. Of course, László has to wait way longer than audience members to see Erzsébet, but inserting an intermission right before their reunion still allows the audience to relate to the character’s emotions.

The Brutalist’s Picture Is The Perfect Image For The Intermission

The Brutalist’s Intermission Picture Introduces New Characters To The Movie

Placing the intermission at this point in the story also works perfectly, as The Brutalist’s second half is much different than the first half. While the first half of the movie focuses almost solely on László as he settles in America and creates a new life for himself, the second half of The Brutalist focuses more on the drama that ensues when all the characters come together.

In the second half of The Brutalist, László has to confront his marital problems, his heroin addiction, and his problematic relationship with Harrison, all while becoming more obsessed with his building. Showing the wedding picture during the intermission proves that László is in a good place in his life at this point in the story. However, the second half of the movie reveals that the American dream is not what it is made out to be. Therefore, before taking a darker turn towards the end of The Brutalist, including the wedding picture at the halfway point was a genius decision.

Movie

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The Brutalist

10/10

Release Date

December 20, 2024

Runtime

215 Minutes

Director

Brady Corbet

Writers

Brady Corbet, Mona Fastvold