Brady Corbet’s The Brutalist offers an ending with dense thematic material to examine. Adrien Brody leads The Brutalist’s cast as László Tóth, a Hungarian-Jewish architect separated from his wife during World War II. He arrives in America and finds himself under the employ of Harrison Lee Van Buren, a wealthy man fascinated by Tóth’s innovative architectural talent, who commissions him to construct a landmark community center in memory of his mother.

The movie’s ending sees Harrison reach out to László to kick off construction again. On their trip to Italy, Harrison rapes a drunk László to demonstrate his power over him. This causes László to spiral, lashing out in anger at his friends and employees. Eventually, his wife Erzsébet runs out of medication, and László injects her with heroin to help with the pain, causing her to overdose. She survives, and they plan to leave the country, but first, she confronts Harrison about what he did. At his home, Harrison disappears after being accused in front of family and colleagues.

Zsófia’s Final Speech In The Brutalist & What It Means Explained

Zsófia Celebrates The Accomplishments Of László Tóth

The Brutalist’s epilogue occurs in 1980 at a Biennale for László Tóth, exhibiting his architectural work over the past two decades and celebrating his life. It’s a shocking moment, given how desperate matters were becoming for him at the end of the film, but it seems like Erzsébet’s trip back to Pennsylvania ended up being fruitful for his career. However, it’s unclear how exactly László became a renowned architect. The Van Buren community center is mentioned as one of his accomplishments, so he was credited for the work.

At the event, Zsófia gives a speech about László Tóth’s life, summarizing her uncle’s career and demonstrating a side of his character that the audience hasn’t really been directly acquainted with, as László hasn’t shared the inspiration for his work. She describes how his personal life influenced his creative process, inspiring different aspects of the community center. Notably, the interiors of the community center were made to resemble the concentration camps László was subjected to, meaning his trauma was developed into his work.

There’s one statement Zsófia makes that’s perfectly reflective of the narrative. She closes the speech saying, “No matter what the others try and sell you, it is the destination, not the journey.” Her point suggests that László went through hell to achieve his artistry, but the end result is ultimately what matters. His personal life was continuously riddled with conflict and tragedy, yet he accomplished works that eventually came to be respected and admired.

What Happened To Harrison After Erzsébet Accuses Him

Harrison Disappears, Leaving His Fate Unknown

Harrison Lee Van Buren’s fate is one of the strangest mysteries of The Brutalist’s ending. Despite the importance of his character to the narrative, after Erzsébet accuses him of raping László, he flees the scene. His son and household employees cannot find him on the grounds, and the film cuts away to the epilogue without resolving his disappearance. Furthermore, the epilogue doesn’t provide any more information regarding Harrison. Brady Corbet leaves the decision to the viewer.

There are several matters regarding this scene that can be theorized upon. As for Harrison’s fate, it’s possible that he killed himself or simply fled, hiding from the shame and leaving to begin life anew elsewhere. Another interesting detail in the scene is how his son, Harry, reacts. Harry is a pompous tool throughout the film; this is the scene where he shows genuine despair. Aside from his father being accused of doing something terrible, he’s horrified because he believes or knows it to be true.

Another scene in the film shows Harry walking up to Zsófia as she sits by the water in a swimsuit. He asks her if she’d like to go on a stroll, but the scene cuts away before demonstrating what happens. The next time they’re shown, Zsófia walks away from Harry, purposefully covering up where she was previously showing skin. The film could imply that Harry attempted something. It’s purely speculation, but this could suggest either that Harry has developed these tendencies by mimicking his father or by experiencing them from his father.

Did Erzsébet Die Before The Brutalist’s Epiloge?

Erzsébet Presumably Died Due To Her Osteoporosis

Erzsébet isn’t present in the epilogue, implying that she pᴀssed away sometime in the past twenty years. Luckily, she survived the overdose in 1960, living long enough to move back to Europe with László. She had been diagnosed with osteoporosis in or around 1953, likely impacting her life expectancy. Though she was shown walking on a stretcher toward the movie’s ending, her condition primarily wasn’t shown to be improving over her seven years in The Brutalist.

Was László Tóth A Real Architect?

László Tóth Is A Fictional Character

Adrien Brody’s character, László Tóth, is an entirely fictional figure, though the film is so well-constructed that he feels alive. In an interview with CNN, Adrien Brody discussed how his own life helped influence the creation of the character, saying, “I am fortunate to have an understanding of that immigrant experience and the many parallels of an artist’s journey.” Brody’s performance, the writing from Brady Corbet and Mona Fastvold, and other talented artists involved in the projection helped develop a fascinating figure to study.

The Real Meaning Of The Brutalist Explained

The Brutalist Examines The American Experience Of Immigrants And Artists

The Brutalist is a post-war epic that examines similarities between immigrants and artists. László is both of these things, and not only is he rejected for differing from the locals in religion and culture, but he’s also misunderstood as a creative. He’s surrounded by Americans who can’t possibly understand any aspect of his life and don’t attempt to try. With that in mind, Harrison Lee Van Buren is emblematic of America in its most toxic form: a capitalist who doesn’t care to understand László’s plight or even the art and yet desires to own it.

To an extreme extent, Harrison enforces his need for power over László, even Sєxually ᴀssaulting him while reminding him that he isn’t living up to his full potential. Harrison is envious of László’s creative genius, suggesting that his vast wealth has only resulted in a profoundly shallow existence. The Brutalist is ultimately László’s portrait, though, and the movie suggests that, regardless of the tragic journey, he reaches his destination, and the world revels in his creation.

How The Brutalist Ending Was Received

Fans Debated What The Final Scene Really Meant

One Reddit thread questioned why The Brutalist ending occurred in Venice when the OP suggested that Israel would have made more sense with Zsófia delivering the speech to a Jewish audience. However, when looking at this, Redditor JamarcusRussell suggested, “It’s not the journey it’s the destination. That it’s in Venice, a place thematically unconnected with the rest of the movie, and that’s we don’t hear him speak or find out if they moved to Israel, is important.“

Another Redditor called Constant-Pumpkiin-628 suggested that the time-jump ending was something that played into the idea of how society views history:

“It feels like the filmmakers are holding up a mirror to our perception of the world around us. By skipping all that time and denying us a neatly resolved conclusion—despite how much we’ve invested in the story—it mirrors how we often view history. We see the architecture and admire its grandeur, but we fail to grasp the immense effort, struggle, and suffering that went into creating it.”

There was another Reddit thread where fans debated what The Brutalist ending really meant. The OP wrote that they saw the ending as a positive from an artist’s point of view: “I expected to leave the theater enraged, but then due to those last few minutes, I left it elated. Tóth and his work will be remembered forever, and that’s all that matters.” However, others suggested that Zsófia spoke for Tóth, once again stripping him of his agency. In the end, Redditor chesterT3 commented, “Corbet made the ending ambiguous so that you can come to your own conclusions.“

Sources: CNN