'The Brutalist,' and the story of that intermission family picture

The picture that's shown during the award-winning film's intermission has a deep and tragic poignancy.

Even if you haven’t seen The Brutalist yet, you’ve probably seen the picture above.

It’s the one that shows during the “countdown” during the film’s 15-minute intermission, and ever since the film’s first film festival showings, a large percentage of the people who have gotten to see The Brutalist have been unable to resist the urge to take a picture of the screen during that intermission, and then posting it to social media.

It has functioned as a combination of a brag on the part of people who have gotten to see this movie long before it was available to most of the public, as well as something to illustrate their written impressions of the movie’s first half. And while audience members taking a picture of the screen during a film normally inspires vitriol, I think in this particular case some leeway is granted, since it’s the intermission and the lights are on.

But the meaning of the picture itself is much more poignant and tragic, than mere social media fodder.

Here’s how it fits into the movie, with light spoilers: László Tóth, the film’s protagonist who has come to the United States after surviving the Holocaust, remains separated from his wife Erzsébet (Felicity Jones) and his niece Zsofia (Raffey Cassidy), who remain back in Europe after the war.

With László working with industrialist Harrison Van Buren (Guy Pearce), Harrison’s lawyer indicates that immigration authorities will allow Erzsébet and Zsofia to come to the States if they can establish they’re related to László, and one possible method of proof is by producing a family photograph.