The AI Controversy Surrounding The Brutalist and Adrien Brody’s Performance
If you haven’t already heard about The Brutalist, it’s the epic period drama that’s been making waves this awards season. Directed by Brady Corbet and starring Adrien Brody and Felicity Jones, the film follows Hungarian-born Jewish architect László Tóth (Brody) and his wife Erzsébet (Jones) as they build a new life in the US. With its gripping narrative and striking visuals, it’s earned critical acclaim—including three Golden Globe wins. But behind the glowing reviews lies a controversy that’s sparked heated debates online.
The issue? The use of AI to adjust the Hungarian accents in Brody and Jones’ performances.
The buzz started when editor Dávid Jancsó revealed that AI technology from Ukrainian startup Respeecher was used to refine Hungarian language dialogue. While this might sound like a straightforward post-production tool, some speculated that the AI had been used to alter or enhance the stars’ performances, sparking backlash from audiences concerned about authenticity and the ethics of AI in filmmaking.
Brady Corbet, however, was quick to set the record straight. Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, he emphasized that the performances remained entirely the actors’ own, stating, “Adrien and Felicity’s performances are completely their own. They worked for months with dialect coach Tanera Marshall to perfect their accents.”
The AI, according to Corbet, was only employed to tweak specific vowels and letters in Hungarian dialogue. “The aim was to preserve the authenticity of Adrien and Felicity’s performances in another language, not to replace or alter them and done with the utmost respect for the craft.”
A Closer Look at the Technology
Dávid Jancsó, a native Hungarian speaker, shared further insight into the process. Hungarian is notoriously difficult to pronounce for English speakers, and the actors faced a significant challenge in mastering the language. “If you’re coming from the Anglo-Saxon world certain sounds can be particularly hard to grasp,” Jancsó explained. With a limited budget of under $10 million, Respeecher was brought in to help refine the accents efficiently without compromising the actors’ hard work.
Jancsó made it clear that the AI wasn’t a shortcut. Brody and Jones recorded their own voices for the process, and the adjustments were minimal—primarily involving replacing letters to ensure accuracy. While these changes could technically have been made manually, the sheer amount of Hungarian dialogue made the AI tool a necessity to avoid delays in post-production.
The Bigger Picture: Art, Technology, and Ethics
This controversy raises important questions about the role of AI in filmmaking. While tools like Respeecher can save time and enhance authenticity, they also prompt concerns about where to draw the line. When does AI become a crutch? Can its use diminish the craft of acting? Corbet’s response underscores the balance he aimed to strike: using technology to support, not overshadow, the human element of performance.
Why The Brutalist Matters
Beyond the controversy, The Brutalist has been praised as one of the year’s unmissable films. With its unflinching look at immigration, identity, and ambition, the film is both timely and timeless. Critics have called it a masterpiece, with NME’s Paul Bradshaw describing it as “deliberately never an easy watch” but emotionally devastating in the best way.
As the movie hits UK theaters this Friday, the conversation surrounding it continues to evolve. Whether you’re drawn in by the controversy, the performances, or the story itself, one thing’s for sure: The Brutalist is a film that demands to be seen—and discussed.
What are your thoughts on the use of AI in filmmaking? Let’s talk about it in the comments!
