2024 was a great year for cinema that saw the release of many films that are guaranteed to become future classics, but none have been instantly heralded as an all-time masterpiece in the same way as “The Brutalist.” Brady Corbet’s epic character study of a Hungarian-Jewish architect who immigrated to America is both a shocking examination of the cruelty of capitalism and an astounding examination of what the artistic process looks like. While “The Brutalist” will certainly be analyzed for years based on the density of its social and political commentary, it’s also a film that deserves to be celebrated for what an outstanding achievement it is for independent cinema.
Among the joys of “The Brutalist” is that it feels like an homage to a more classical form of storytelling that has become increasingly rare in modern Hollywood. In an era in which the industry has become even more reliant on spectacles and superhero movies to sustain its survival, it is nice to know that there are still filmmakers out there like Corbet who have enthusiasm for the classics. Here are eight great films to watch if you like “The Brutalist.”
1. Vox Lux (2018)
Although Corbet’s name has received the most attention thanks to the accolades he received for “The Brutlaist,” he first announced himself as an auteur of tremendous ambition with his challenging pop musical “Vox Lux.” Similar to “The Brutalist,” “Vox Lox” is divided into two halves that take place several years apart. The first half features “The Brutalist” co-star Raffey Cassidy as the teenage girl Celeste, who survives a school shooting and unexpectedly becomes a pop sensation after releasing a hit single memorializing her fellow students. The second half follows an older version of Celeste played by Natalie Portman, who is drawn back into the spotlight to confront another tragedy.
Like “The Brutalist,” “Vox Lux” is interested in how closely an artist’s life mirrors what they create, and how much observers should consider the circumstances of something’s emergence. “Vox Lux” is quite blatant in how it points out the futility of confronting the gun violence epidemic in America, but it is far more ambiguous in the takeaways it has about using celebrity as a coping mechanism. Corbet’s daring narrative choices here, while initially unconventional, proved to be the bold risks that ultimately defined “The Brutalist.”
2. The Pianist (2002)
Adrien Brody is likely to win a second Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance in “The Brutalist,” as he became the youngest winner in the history of the Oscars after he took home the top prize for his performance in Roman Polanski’s historical epic “The Pianist.” To say that the two films are thematically linked would be a vast understatement; Brody stars in “The Pianist” as a young musical prodigy who is forced to survive the Holocaust, all whilst reckoning with how his gifts have been taken advantage of.
There are many films about the Holocaust that have failed because they seek to generalize the tragedy when in reality there are so many individual experiences to be cultivated out of a genocide that claimed the lives of eleven million innocent people. “The Pianist” is tightly focused on how one man came of age amidst this harrowing time, which is no doubt informed by Polanski’s own experience as a Holocaust survivor. Like “The Brutalist,” “The Pianist” is in no way an easy film to watch, but it serves as such a profound monument to what was lost that it is absolutely essential viewing.
3. There Will Be Blood (2007)
“The Brutalist” is not just a film about the futility of assimilation, but a story about the costs of greed. The story of how Harrison Van Buren (Guy Pearce) bullies and fights to attain respectability examines that in a nation that prides itself on giving everyone “the American dream,” there is no way to account for the encouragement of ambition that results from capitalism. Few films have shown these fundamental truths in a better way than Paul Thomas Anderson’s “There Will Be Blood,” which has now stood the test of time as one of the definitive masterpieces of the 21st century.
Like Corbet, Anderson is a filmmaker who has tremendous affection for the titans of Old Hollywood, as “There Will Be Blood” merges the technical foresight of John Ford, and John Huston with the cutting precision of Stanley Kubrick. However, the key to the film’s success is undoubtedly the performance by Daniel Day-Lewis. Daniel Plainview is a monster birthed by the ideals that founded America, but what is more startling than his abrasive personality is how human he actually is.
4. The Deer Hunter (1978)
“The Brutalist” notably examined a significant span of time and offered insight on a significant period of change within American history by filtering it through the story of one family. This is similar to the ambitions that the great Michael Cimino had for “The Deer Hunter,” the Best Picture winning masterpiece that tracked the exploits of a group of friends from Pennsylvania both before, amidst, and in the aftermath of the Vietnam War.
Like “The Brutalist,” “The Deer Hunter” is hyper-focused on an individual slice of the American experience that is representative of larger trends. While it avoids portraying all Vietnam War veterans with PTSD as a monolith, it highlights certain challenges that many of them commonly faced. “The Deer Hunter” unfortunately did not lead to a renaissance for Cimino, as his career was subsequently undercut when his epic western “Heaven’s Gate” became a huge box office bomb. Hopefully, Corbet will not suffer the same fate and will be given further opportunities to make challenging, ambitious films that advance the art form of cinema as it is known.
Also Read: 20 Greatest Best Picture Oscar Winners
5. The Immigrant (2014)
“The Brutalist” is one of the most incisive films about the immigration experience in America, as it examines how the notion of national pride is often undercut by the perils of assimilation. America may claim to give success to all those who work for it, but it ultimately is a stacked system in which those who come from nothing will never stand to benefit. This is also a fundamental theme in James Gray’s perilously upsetting historical drama “The Immigrant,” which shares a sense of gritty realism with “The Brutalist.”
It goes without saying that Marion Cotillard is among the greatest actresses working today, but it is frankly impressive that she is able to once again transform into another tragic character that is purely Gray’s invention. Most heartbreaking about “The Immigrant” is that Gray allows the film to temporarily indulge in beauty, as the sporadic instances of happiness shine a light on how dispiriting the rest of the story is. Like Corbet, Gray possesses a keen eye for classicism; the techniques behind “The Immigrant” lend it a timeless quality, ensuring its status as a future classic for generations to come.
6. Citizen Kane (1941)
To compare “The Brutalist” to “Citizen Kane” is not just a reference to its quality, as Orson Welles’ masterpiece is referenced by nearly every film publication or scholarly report as one of the greatest films ever made. It’s true that both films are made by young, ambitious filmmakers who show wisdom beyond their years and utilize groundbreaking techniques to imply scale and importance on a shoestring budget. Yet, they are also linked in that both are stories about flawed men who end up being the victims of their own ambitions.
Charles Foster Kane is as much an artist as he is a businessman, as he sees the expansion of his brand and the creation of his identity as a means of expression. Although he shares the deadset ruthlessness of Pearce’s performance as Van Buren, he also has the wide-eyed drive to succeed that defines Brody’s portrayal of Lazlo. “Citizen Kane” is not just one of the most influential films ever made, but one of the most entertaining. Those who found themselves surprised by how accessible “The Brutalist” is may be shocked to find that Welles was just as much a showman as he was an artistic genius.
7. The Best Years Of Our Lives (1946)
“The Brutalist” is astounding in the way that it draws a clear line between the sins of the past to the climate of today, as it examines how generational trauma, the wealth gap, xenophobia, and the collapse of the American family resulted in the dark version of Utopia that exists in 2025. Just as impressive is an achievement like William Wyler’s “The Best Years of Our Lives,” which had the foresight to examine the ramifications that World War II would have on common American people only shortly after the conflict had concluded.
“The Best Years of Our Lives” is centered on the experiences of three soldiers who return from the front, only to discover that their country has changed radically in the years they were away. To say that Wyler was cynical about what a post-war world would look like would perhaps be a step too far, but it is evident that he was able to dissent the culture that would eventually spawn the birth of the Baby Boomer generation. “The Brutalist” had the benefit of time to unpack its analysis of how the nation’s ideals had shifted, but “The Best Years of Our Lives” had the ambition to address an unfolding event.
8. On The Waterfront (1954)
Amidst the well-deserved praise for “The Brutalist,” it’s important to recognize that beyond its grand production scale, the film also achieves a remarkable level of emotional authenticity. “The notion of performative realism as it is known today was birthed by the great Elia Kazan, who was able to bring the authenticity of a stage production to the big screen when he cast Marlon Brando in his adaptation of “A Streetcar Named Desire.” However, the careers of both men took a sizable leap forward thanks to “On the Waterfront,” a film that cut deep with its analysis of loss, regret, and futility.
Brody is in many ways an actor who feels like the Brando of his generation, as they are both very intuitive performers who have a clear talent for showing a sensitive side to masculinity. Brando crafted many memorable characters throughout his career, but “On the Waterfront” is so achingly personal that it is at times difficult to comprehend. Time will tell if “The Brutalist” will age as well as “On the Waterfront,” but Kazan’s masterpiece turned the line “I coulda been a contender” into an iconic moment for a reason.
