The Brutalist Is 2024’s Historical Epic You Need to See. Here’s How to Watch.

EVERY SO OFTEN, a movie comes around that you just have to see. Last year, that was Christopher Nolan‘s Oppenheimer, which ultimately just about swept its way through awards season (though Martin Scorsese‘s Killers of the Flower Moon and Greta Gerwig’s Barbie were among many other more-than-worthy contenders). 2024 hasn’t been as filled with universally acclaimed blockbusters (stuff like Gladiator II got a bit of a mixed reception, while Wicked is among those worth your time), but it’s not short of epics. This year’s epic that you simply must see is The Brutalist which comes from director and co-writer Brady Corbet.

The Brutalist, which is the third feature film directed by Corbet (an actor-turned-director who you may remember from the U.S. remake of Funny Games), is as big in scope as any historical epic you’ll ever see; think along the lines of something like There Will Be Blood or The Master, but made all the more impressive due to the fact that it was made with a minuscule budget (comparatively) of just under $10 million.

The film follows László Tóth (Adrien Brody), a fictional Jewish architect who masters in Brutalist style design, after he escapes from Hungary during the Holocaust/World War II and tries to find a living in the United States of America. While he initially works with his cousin (Alessandro Nivola) at a furniture store, he quickly finds his talent as an artist and architect discovered, as he takes on a series of jobs for a wealthy industrialist (Guy Pearce) and his son (Joe Alwyn), all the while trying to orchestrate the travel of his wife (Felicity Jones) to join him in the United States.

At 3 hours and 35 minutes—including a built-in 15-minute intermission—The Brutalist is the longest movie to be released theatrically in 2024, and while that’s certainly a time investment, the movie flies by; it’s paced wonderfully, and the story and character beats are so compelling that it’ll be over before you even know it.

The film is nominated for seven Golden Globes, including Best Picture (Drama), Best Director, Best Actor (Drama) for Brody, Best Supporting Actor for Pearce, and Best Supporting Actress for Jones; it marks what is surely to be the start of a long awards season run for what is without question one of the year’s best movies.

Here’s what else you need to know about The Brutalist, and how you can watch.

How can I watch The Brutalist?

The only way to see The Brutalist right now is in theaters. The movie is currently only playing in a few select locations, but will continue to expand to more and more theaters in January as word gets out and as it continues to gain buzz and accolades.

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What is The Brutalist about?

At 3 hours and 35 minutes, you might think it would be hard to describe succinctly exactly what The Brutalist is about—but you’d be wrong. In a nutshell, the movie is about a Hungarian Jewish architect named László Tóth (Adrien Brody), who escapes the horrors of WWII and lands in America with the hopes of building an honest living.

While he begins with a modest life and ambition, happy to be working and alive, he quickly puts his talents on display and finds himself entangled with a client (Joe Alwyn) and his wealthy industrialist father (Guy Pearce) who becomes an even bigger client, all the while working to bring his beloved wife (Felicity Jones) over from Hungary to be with him in America.

The movie is, really, that simple. There’s an overarching theme throughout it all of art versus commerce, and how one will often need to be sacrificed for the other; the cost of Captitalism on human well-being is also frequently something that comes up throughout the course of the film.

But, again, to keep things simple: The Brutalist is a remarkably made movie by director Brady Corbet (who’s previous films include The Childhood of a Leader and Vox Lux), who co-wrote the movie with his wife, Mona Fastvold. It’s a stunning movie on a visual level, filled with a compelling story and fantastic performances by its impressive cast. You won’t regret the ride.

When and where will The Brutalist be streaming?

For now, The Brutalist is playing exclusively in theaters, and we highly recommend seeing it that way. More than any other movie to be released in 2024, it’s an experience, and while its very long, the intermission (which is something we’ve argued in favor of in the past!) is a delightful breath of fresh air, a way to get your bearings and settle in before the second half of the movie wraps things up.

But like all movies, The Brutalist will eventually be available to watch at home. We expect it’ll be available to purchase and rent on demand by late February, and since A24 movies eventually stream on Max, should be on that platform by late March or so.