When we're first introduced to László Tóth, we can't tell right away where he is as he's making his way through a sea of people, until he finally reaches the surface where we're graced with the sight of the Statue of Liberty.

From the depths of dark winding corridors crawling with countless others and into the blinding light of the day outside, it's impossible to not see this sequence as a birth of sorts, although "rebirth" would perhaps be far more appropriate, seeing as László has just arrived in America after surviving the camps.

While he might not necessarily be after the American Dream at first, what is considered the land of opportunity also hides the dark reality that there are always some who will take advantage of others in whatever way they can if given the chance, and that's pretty much how we first meet László: as a newborn of sorts that will have to start over a new life from scratch in an unfamiliar land, while also dealing with the trauma and horror from the war which left a permanent mark on his soul.

It is a film about building as much as it is about rebuilding, as László Tóth seeks to find himself again after all that was done and taken from him.

"The Brutalist" is in fact everything everyone's been saying about it, and yet at the same time words can only convey its greatness up to a certain point and you really just have to experience this journey yourself whenever you get the chance. It's been described as monumental countless times by now, and for good reason because that's exactly what it is, what it feels, and what it sounds like-

Brady Corbet's third feature is a uniquely towering beast in its own league, with so many great things going for it that just thinking about a way to talk about it all can be quite dizzying.

The most sensible place to start would be the performances I guess, it isn't lost on me how they've all been continuously lauded ever since the film's premiere at the Venice International Film Festival, but now that I've actually seen "The Brutalist" I can join the discussion and state for the nth time that Adrien Brody is absolutely sublime throughout the whole thing.

He's always been a great actor, arguably one of the best of our time, but it seems that for a long while now he's been starring in smaller projects that remain forgettable for the most part. So to finally see him again in a proper leading role in an actual good film was a long time coming, and it was simply riveting rediscovering just how great of an actor he truly is.

Not only does he show us repeatedly that he's still "got it", he also delivered one of the best male performances I've seen in a long time.

My praise for the acting doesn't stop there thankfully, as all of the leading and supporting cast were just as tremendous, whether it's Guy Pearce, Felicity Jones or Alessandro Nivola (who's just as memorable as the rest even though his screentime is significantly shorter), everyone's role is layered in their own way, and the film's length definitely provides everyone with enough time and space to grow in importance alongside the story.

As far as its technical aspects go, "The Brutalist" is pretty much flawless. The cinematography is consistently breathtaking, and the camerawork is definitely an element I loved just as much: the frame gives as much space to the creator as it does for his creations, regardless of their form-

Whether they come in the shape of sketches, photos, miniatures or the actual real thing, there's always this quality of transcendental reverence with how the camera captures László's vision and expression of his own self.

The soundtrack was also incredibly powerful and memorable throughout, and I can't wait for it to be made available. Just the way the film opens and how the score plays throughout that introduction immediately sets the stage for the journey that will follow. Even with the intermission - which I didn't think was necessary - I never felt like "The Brutalist" dragged at any point despite being nearly four hours along.

I do think that the first half is considerably tighter and better than the latter half, but at the same time it's not something I see myself docking points over, especially when it's only been a few hours since I've seen the film and still have so much left to process.

What I am sure of however is that this is a remarkable feat. I don't know what's crazier, the fact that Brady Corbet isn't even in his 40s yet and that this third film of his already boasts an unparalleled enviable quality, or that it was made for less than $10 million, which is just mindblowing.

Either way, it is without a doubt one of this year's best films. I know that there's so much more to be said, but others have likely already spoken about it in ways I never could, especially in my present condition as I have yet to come down from the high of watching this. "The Brutalist" simply felt immense both in scope and execution, but never excessive or overlong.

An unfortunate note I have to mention however is that it was deeply regrettable to watch one of the most anticipated and talked about films of the year at a venue that pretty much "botched" the screening: I'm not sure whether it was a screen or a projector issue, but there were these visible blotches across the entire frame which would become extremely noticeable and distracting whenever there'd be darker colors in the picture. So for instance, whenever there was a fade to black - or any scene with black in it - you'd never actually get a completely black screen, but one that featured these blue smudges, almost as if someone had burnt the reels or something.

I highly doubt that this was an export/reel issue, pretty sure it was the venue's own equipment that was faulty, and if that's the case it's terrible news for me because I have another half a dozen screenings at the same theater in the coming days.

It didn't ruin the film, but it absolutely sucked having to deal with it for the entire screening because it prevented me from fully enjoying its beauty as it was meant to. Again, I'm not sure what the exact problem was - though theaters are often notorious for rarely switching out their bulbs and such - but it's one of those things that I just can't wrap my head around, I don't understand the kind of quality control that goes on behind the scenes that allows something like this to happen.

Simply inexcusable and absolutely shameful, if I was the one in charge I would die of embarassment on the spot.

That aside, it absolutely lived up to the hype and I hope to see it make waves during awards season.