Noted for the impressive list of awards it has garnered and for its cinematic daring, The Brutalist is the story of an architect. Which might make you wonder if you should bother watching it. I wondered: I’m neither a designer nor a builder, and even though someone highly recommended it, the prospect hardly seemed appealing. “Story of an architect,” however, hardly scratches the surface.

Brady Corbet’s Oscar-winning film may be long and bleak, but it won’t disappoint the intrepid viewer.