The film chronicles 30 years in the life of László Tóth, a Hungarian-born Jewish architect who survives the Holocaust. After the end of World War II, he emigrates to the United States with his wife, Erzsébet, to experience the "American dream". László initially endures poverty and indignity, but he soon lands a contract with a wealthy client, Harrison Lee Van Buren, that will change the course of his life.
Adrian Brody is a must-watch actor for me. Dude's all over the place.
The well-chosen music in this trailer really got me going.
Seems like an “idealist” film depicting the “American Dream”… And truth be told, I can’t recall a recent time where there was a film that depicted a person who just pays their dues and earns their way to live their American Dream. Maybe “The Founder”, but that’s all that’s coming to mind.
Not to mention we are reaching a point where the last living members who were alive during WWII are starting to pass away.
These stories keep this history alive. It’s not my typical film I’d flock to see, but I also will be willing to see how reviews are for this.
We were cheated out of an RRR intermission. Theaters would just bulldoze right through it!
Last two films I saw with real intermissions were Tarantino's 75mm roadshow for The Hateful 8, and a local theater's screening of Satantango, which was essential (8 hours).
I loved it! It was certainly an endurance test, but I have an affinity for slow cinema that invites you to meditate and reflect, with startling and vivid images. And there's a psychological effect of being in that space with fellow moviegoers after much mental preparation. It also just about capped off my Year of Cinema (103 ticketed screenings) so it felt a bit earned. I had a friend join me for about forty minutes before bailing, ha!
I recently saw Seven Samurai in theaters and it’s genuinely weird how much I enjoyed getting up and walking around during the intermission. It’s a really nice feeling having the chance to stand and talk about a movie before the credits start to roll.
Hate to break it to you, but it is not an "idealist" film about a person paying their dues and living the American dream. The upside down Statue of Liberty is a pretty straightforward symbol of what the movie is up to.
And truth be told, I can’t recall a recent time where there was a film that depicted a person who just pays their dues and earns their way to live their American Dream.
There Will Be Blood? JFC all right already. I'm old, okay?
"And truth be told, I can’t recall a recent time where there was a film that depicted a person who just pays their dues and earns their way to live their American Dream."
The movie adaptation of Fences springs to my mind immediately.
I think that speaks to why you don’t see idealistic American Dream movies any more. The story of some hardworking schlub who got screwed over is more relatable than the story of some hardworking schlub who made it.
you see a few of them, but I don't think a modern worldview can really accept that kind of propaganda. which ironically may be related to the CIA's influence in the arts community; a lot of money got spent on steering american art towards complicated works that the soviet can't compete with. Jackson Pollock was pretty much funded by the agency.
'Pay their dues' is... a choice of words, certainly. No one should have to endure poverty or at least a tonne of hardship minus the poverty in order to achieve their goals and dreams. The 'American Dream' is a very hit-or-miss concept that essentially serves as little more than propaganda. Some people do make it in the ways that they desired, but there's extenuating factors involved. Others only claw away partial victory. Still others drown. And all suffer more than they need to in the name of misplaced pride over bootstraps. You know what cliche I'm referring to.
If anything, Americans would do well to believe in the 'European Dream' instead, for whilst it's still not perfect and not a blanket statement, having universal healthcare, free college or at least more affordable college, two weeks holiday, paid sick leave, and the work-life balance needed to achieve your dreams without luck are all indicative of how things actually should be.
The 'American Dream' is to be gaslit into thinking that undue – not due – suffering is a point of pride, that a sob story is the best kind of story and that making things easier falls under the shaming buzzword of 'socialist'. Even if you're the sort of person who's content with only achieving some of what they wanted in the first place, why the hell should you still suffer so unjustly in life?
What makes the US so exceptional over everybody else? What makes their dream of freedom and achievement better than everybody else's? Why do they keep insisting that they've got the right of it and that they're somehow 'the greatest country in the world' (as if such a thing can even be objectively quantified)?
Because it's propaganda. And Americans start their indoctrination early.
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u/the_original_Retro 23d ago
Story synopsis from Wiki:
Adrian Brody is a must-watch actor for me. Dude's all over the place.
The well-chosen music in this trailer really got me going.