‘The Brutalist’ director Brady Corbet breaks silence over AI use controversy-OxBig News Network

Actor Adrien Brody and director Brady Corbet during an interview with BBC in London

Director Brady Corbet has addressed criticisms surrounding the use of AI technology in post-production for The Brutalist, clarifying that it was employed solely for editing Hungarian dialogue accuracy and not to alter the performances of lead stars Adrien Brody and Felicity Jones.

“Adrien and Felicity’s performances are completely their own,” Corbet emphasised in a statement. He said that the actors spent months working with dialect coach Tanera Marshall to perfect their Hungarian accents. Corbet explained that the Respeecher technology, was used in post-production to fine-tune specific vowels and letters in Hungarian dialogue, to ensure linguistic precision. “This was a manual process… done with the utmost respect for the craft,” he added.

While AI was also utilised in the film’s closing sequence to depict architectural blueprints, Corbet noted that all building designs were hand-drawn by Judy Becker and her team, with AI contributing only to intentionally crude digital renderings for a background memorial video.

Against the backdrop of post-war America, The Brutalist follows Hungarian Jewish architect László Tóth (Brody) as he rebuilds his life after the Holocaust. Spanning three decades and running 215 minutes with a built-in, 15-minute intermission, the film has already been widely celebrated, earning three Golden Globes, including Best Picture Drama, Best Actor for Brody, and Best Director for Corbet.

The film’s editor and native Hungarian speaker, Dávid Jancsó, also said that while initial ADR attempts were made to improve the actors’ Hungarian pronunciation, they proved ineffective. Respeecher was then used to subtly refine accents without compromising performances. “Most of their Hungarian dialogue has a part of me talking in there,” Jancsó noted, adding that such audio fine-tuning is common in film production.

A long champion of analog filmmaking, Corbet shot The Brutalist on 35mm VistaVision. “The Brutalist is a film about human complexity, and every aspect of its creation was driven by human effort, creativity, and collaboration,” he said.

A24 acquired the under $10M film after its Venice premiere. It is now a strong contender for further accolades, including recognition at the DGA and PGA Award, and eventually at the BAFTAs and Oscars.