Water has long been a cinematic staple. In Dune, it is a sacred resource on a desert planet. In Waterworld, it is both abundant and scarce—earth is a vast ocean with little drinkable water. Quantum of Solace sees James Bond battling terrorists over Bolivia’s water supply, while in Dr Strangelove, an unhinged general orders a nuclear strike, convinced that the communists are conspiring to poison America’s drinking water. In The Man Who Fell to Earth, an alien seeks water to save his dying planet. Avatar: The Way of Water captures its elemental power: “Water connects all things, light to death, darkness to light.”
It makes sense—water is the most consumed substance on earth. Yet, cinema has paid little attention to the world’s second most-used material: concrete. Or, as the French call it, béton brut—raw concrete.
The Brutalist is a rare entry in film’s sparse concrete canon. Adrien Brody, in his second Oscar-winning role, plays Laszlo Toth, a Holocaust survivor and visionary architect who leaves war-torn Europe for America. Early on, he wakes up in the belly of a ship entering New York Harbour. A voice orders him to prepare his papers. He gathers his few belongings and stumbles through a swarm of sweat-drenched passengers, all rushing towards the promise of a new beginning.
Toth has lost everything—his home, his family, his country. As he pushes through the crowd, slivers of sunlight pierce the ship’s narrow openings, illuminating his gaunt face. He steps on to the deck, engulfed in daylight. The music swells. A man stares skyward, overcome with joy. Toth follows his gaze—and there she is: rising from the water, impossibly tall, arm aloft, flame in hand. The Statue of Liberty.
Esta historia es de la edición March 16, 2025 de THE WEEK India.
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