Midlands Review of The Brutalist

midlandsmovies • March 25, 2024

The Brutalist

 

Directed & written by Joe Burden

 

2024

 

1950s Brutalist architecture emerged in the UK amid reconstruction projects of the post-war era and showcase a minimalist style without fancy decoration. And whilst the exposed unpainted concrete and plain geometric shapes of the movement may not seem an obvious focus for a film, Northampton writer-director Joe Burden has used it as a jumping off point in his new short The Brutalist.


The story sees Marcus (Ken Ogborn) as a somewhat arrogant aficionado of Leicester’s Brutalist landmarks, who looks into the world of the past as part of his love of photography.


As he shoots with his old-school camera in a park, he is joined by Diane (Paige Kimberley) who attempts to bond with him over their shared photography hobby.


But as she pulls out her camera phone, he accuses her of not being a professional, yet she gives as good as she gets in return. They then go their separate ways, neither convinced of the others’ argument about traditional film versus digital expression.


After a monologue about the Lee Circle car park – once the largest in Europe we are told – Marcus laments the lack of love and changing attitudes of this style over time.


The director sets up the first half in an artistic way shooting these building in a colour hue almost as monochrome as the stark constructions themselves. Shadows, sharply defined camera angles and many static shots convey a clear-cut comparison to these harsh buildings.


Yet for all his harsh facts, we see Marcus standing outside in the cold before noticing the woman from before as he looks through a pub window. But a coarse salutation sees Marcus being dismissed as quickly as he did with Diane.


The Brutalist is an interesting short with a very specific story to tell. A mix of discussion points about how the past and present are “structured” balances nicely with unconventional themes and there could even be a slight nod towards the ongoing debate about the film versus digital discourse in cinema.


For me, the ending lost its way and tone a little compared to what came before. Perhaps a moment of reconciliation may suggest that these two views can live side by side. No doubt the director wanted to show the lack of empathy from both sides, but it has unfortunately resulted in that negative tone being applied to both characters themselves.


As it is, both protagonists aren’t exactly the most likeable of souls, their feet stuck in concrete on their respective views. However, much like the ever-changing architectural attitudes over time, Burden mixes bleak beauty with a well-constructed short story suggesting that if we can’t build bridges with each other then the outcomes are brutal for all involved.


★★★½


Michael Sales


Find out more about the filmmaker at www.jbscripts.co.uk


And watch the full short on their YouTube channel below:

By midlandsmovies April 26, 2025
Up! (1976) Dir. Russ Meyer  Well, bi-Adolf Hitler BDSM is not something (a) I thought I’d ever see 5 minutes into a movie and (b) ever expected to write in my lifetime to be fair but this spicy start is pretty standard for the work of exploitation filmmaker Russ Meyer. Up! is a kind of r*pe-revenge softcore p*rn film (there’s gonna be a fair bit of self-censorship in this review so apologies in advance), the type Meyer is known for. I’d describe the plot in more detail but it’s mostly a convoluted and incoherent mess of double-crossing, murder, violence and lots and lots of humping. In short, a man called Adolph gets murdered and a woman investigates (kinda) the circumstances but as she does so, a group of locals blackmail, attack and screw each other with the murder mystery barely mentioned throughout. With so little narrative, it could be argued if it’s essentially p*rn? To be fair, not far off. It’s about extreme as you can go without simply making a s*x film. Is that a…no, it’s a belly button hole. Bookending the film (and also seen at various points throughout) is a Greek Chorus - simply a busty fully nude woman of course - who delivers dialogue like “Pummelling the scrotum with joyous supplication” and other such poeticisms. This artistic flourish is mostly pointless - the actress herself saying the words were tough to learn because it was utter nonsense. On a technical level, the editing is surprisingly well done and the 4k image is frankly fantastic. Someone somewhere must be putting together a post-modern take about the beautiful landscapes and cinematography of Meyer’s * ahem * output. But it definitely does have a kitsch artistry. It has certainly provided plenty of cinematic influence though. Elements of Tarantino grindhouse sensibilities are on show - Meyers likes bosoms as much as Quents likes feet - and there’s even a leather gimp early on. I can also see how its had an impact on Ti West X’s with a focus on sexuality and the body as well, more obviously, Anna Biller’s feminist-twist The Love Witch (2016). Suffice to say it’s not for the weak of heart. I think in this day and age you can’t go into this completely blind to its style, period and context though. It's an X-rated Carry On style that was bad taste then and it’s bad taste now. It revels in its sleaziness without a single hint of shame or apology. Simply saying 'deal with it'. The main negative though is the absence of plot - if the film can even be looked at like that - which is barely present. This is a shame as the whole thing could do with a bit more coherence rather than endless shagging. But it’s far from titillation, it’s mostly clowning - albeit a very adult version of it. More saucy than sexy. Trying to review this through modern sensibilities is almost impossible. It’s as offensive can be from the first scene through to the final credits - heck even this 4k menu is simply one of the film's many s*x scenes. But there are some progressive themes as it doesn’t shy from confronting sexual freedom, bisexuality, gay sex, BDSM and consensual exploration. There's moments of comedy thrown in and I enjoyed a frankly hilarious 5-minute monologue explaining the culprit’s intentions, which was a ludicrous way to deliver a slasher-style ending. I suppose the main thing about Up! (and Meyers’ work overall) is there’s a sort of love it or loathe it quality about the whole shebang. But it’s so unlike anything being made today - for good or bad - that it’s never anything other than unpredictably fascinating. More explicit than most Meyers films - in fact more than any film - it’s a lewd, rude and crude (s)exploration with a satirical edge and campy enjoyment bouncing from every frame. ★★★ 3 / 5 Michael Sales Severin Films releases Russ Meyers' UP! (1976) and MOTORPSYCHO (1965) on 28 April 2025 in newly restored and scanned 4k with hours of new and archival Special Features https://severinfilms.co.uk/
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