The Monocle Minute

Being an avid reader of The Monocle Minute and therefore a culturally aware disciple of good design, you’ll probably want to ogle and swoon at The Brutalist, director Brady Corbet’s dizzying VistaVision marvel, at the cinema. The film is about the uncomfortable relationship between art and commerce, and tells the story of the equally uncomfortable relationship between László Tóth (Adrien Brody), a Jewish-Hungarian architect in postwar America, and waspy industrialist Harrison Lee Van Buren (Guy Pearce). We are invited to ask, “Who is the Brutalist?”

Or rather, “Who is ze Brutalist?” A teacup tsunami has recently brewed over the fact that the Hungarian accents of Brody and Felicity Jones, who plays Tóth’s wife, Erzsébet, were enhanced using an AI postproduction tool, despite the film being largely shot in and around Budapest with a Hungarian crew. Online idiots called it “evil” and “gross’’, and one nerd vowed to “kill myself in front of the Academy”. That’s one way to keep it real. Imagine if there was something really awful happening, such as a war being fought in a country that neighboured Hungary. Save yourself, soldier.

The Brutalist has been rightly celebrated for being excellent and costing less than $10m (€9.5m) to make. In this case, AI was used because it made the film better and cheaper. This technology is becoming more intuitive and could be the difference between a film and no film, not to mention the difference between an aspiring filmmaker and an actual one. Yes, there are those CGI-shlock moments such as James Bond’s invisible Aston Martin in Die Another Day and the recent nonsense of sharks in the Colosseum of Gladiator II – but no shark has been jumped by slightly improving one of the toughest accents to get right in a film that doesn’t attempt to be anything like Gladiator II.

As a final fact-check, I rang my Hungarian friend Poni, who said Brody’s accent was “quite good but there’s a hint of Russian”. Go on, darling. “He says, ‘Vut do you tink?’ I would say, ‘Vut do you sink?’” So you put the emphasis on the first syllable? “Exactly.” Oh, I thought that was just you and your mum arguing. “Don’t be cheeky,” she said. Brutal!

Robert Bound is the host of‘Monocle on Culture’. For more opinion, analysis and insight,subscribeto Monocle today.

Property developer Yuta Oka has demonstrated the power that small projects have to breathe life into depopulated corners of Japan. Focusing on compact, walkable neighbourhoods such as Setoda in Hiroshima prefecture, Oka works with locals to introduce hotels, restaurants and workspaces that turn decline into growth. His company, Staple, recently announced that it would be joining forces with financial giant Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Bank to create a new investment business, Good Soil Inc, which will scale up Oka’s ambitions and promote sustainable regional development. It’s a significant growth opportunity for a business whose results speak for themselves.

In Setoda, where Staple’s projects include a luxury ryokan inn, a public bath and a waterfront coffee shop, the population of people in their twenties and thirties has increased by 12 per cent since 2020. Oka’s transparent two-step process ensures that the communities he works with have a stake: institutional investment backs small-scale projects and, once they’re on sound financial footing, local businesses and investors come in to ensure stable, long-term ownership. “[It] redefines the use of funds for regional revitalisation,” says Oka, who points to financial circulation within local economies as a key driver of community enrichment.

The 15th edition of Canada’s largest design festival, DesignTO, is under way in Toronto. In a bid to showcase the best in Canadian and international design, exhibitions, lectures and parties are taking place throughout the week, while bespoke window installations can be found in independent retailers from bookshops to boutiques. Here are our top picks for what to see this year.

‘Dwell’, Union Station
The grand concourse of Toronto’s passenger-rail hub plays host to this group exhibition that encourages passers-by to take a moment to pause amid the hustle and bustle of the station. Canadian designer Allison Postma’s handsome “Kissing Seat” is a highlight.

‘To Hold’, Yabu Pushelberg shop
Canadian design-duo George Yabu and Glenn Pushelberg have turned their eponymous design showroom, where they usually retail their in-house ceramics and homeware lines, into a group exhibition that explores how objects change when they’re held in the hand.

‘Daylighting Trees’, GH3 architecture studio
GH3 has designed some of Canada’s most striking public spaces and civic buildings. Its showroom hosts pieces by designers Joel Galenkamp and Jordan Poirier, alongside work by poet and woodworker John Terpstra.
designto.org

For Monocle: The Forecast we consider how some of Europe’s storied luxury brands are safeguarding traditions through dedicated schools that ensure younger generations keep crafts alive.

One such example is the Buccellati-owned Scuola Orafa Ambrosiana. From the outside, it’s a typical Milanese building in the city’s Porta Venezia neighbourhood. But within its walls is one of the Italian jewellery industry’s best-kept secrets.

Pick up a copy of ‘Monocle: The Forecast’ to stay ahead of the curve in 2025. Or better yet, subscribe so that you never miss an issue.

We take you to sunnier climes in this week’s edition of The Stack. We look at Greece: The Monocle Handbook with its editor, Chiara Rimella. Plus: we discuss In Palma with its editor, Iván Terrasa, as it celebrates its 20th anniversary with the release of a book.