‘The Brutalist’ is great American cinema

The Brutalist is a look back at America 's post-war period, the story of a Hungarian Jewish immigrant who comes to America after losing much to the war.

The film's question is what one makes of life once arriving on U.S. soil.

It's a movie about artistic ambition and the will to create.

In every shot, every line, every tiny interaction, and grandiose image, The Brutalist is great American cinema.

The film is more than three and a half hours long, including a 15-minute scheduled intermission with a countdown clock.

Even that intermission adds background detail to the story, for the clock counts down over a wedding photo from the pre-war days .