I was recently walking around NoHo and stopped by Herzog & de Meuron’s apartment building on Bond Street—an undisputed icon of the early 2000s that gleams with the enthusiasm and excess proper of the architecture of its time. Today, these qualities for a new building would raise more than a few eyebrows—still, I like this building; it is eccentric, bold, and, unsurprisingly, precise.

Let’s get something out of the way: The Brutalist is not a movie about an architect. Despite pointed references to actual historical figures, the film does not attempt to fictionalize specific lives, works, or accomplishments.