Includes SPOILERS for The Brutalist!

The Brutalist is filled with fascinating characters, including Guy Pearce's Harrison Lee Van Buren, raising questions about the real stories behind the movie. Brady Corbet's The Brutalist is one of the most astonishing films of the year, offering an epic tale set in post-war America about a Hungarian-Jewish architect and his relationship with a wealthy benefactor. Adrien Brody leads The Brutalist's cast, but he's not the only star to receive Oscar attention for the role. Guy Pearce was also nominated for Best Supporting Actor.

Harrison Lee Van Buren is one of The Brutalist's most fascinating characters, with the dichotomy between him and Brody's László Tóth being the core of the movie. A major component of The Brutalist's ending is centered around his character's inexplicable disappearance, adding to the curiosity about his figure and whether he's real.

The Best Picture-nominated film offers deep, naturalistic characters, begging the question about the true story behind The Brutalist. However, the film isn't based on any specific real-world story, and neither are its characters. The 2024 movie was written by Brady Corbet and Mona Fastvold, and part of the sensation surrounding the film is that it's an epic crafted in its entirety without any source material. That said, there are still plenty of real-life events that likely mirrored the characters and plot of the film.

László Tóth is not a real architect, and Harrison Lee Van Buren isn't a real early 20th-century industrialist. Still, there are countless artists and countless wealthy art buyers by whom the story of The Brutalist is inspired, and many have shared similar dynamics. Not to mention, there were plenty of Holocaust survivors who fled to America with the hope of starting anew, only to find brand-new obstacles and prejudices against them. Corbet's movie might not be based on a true story, but it is based on life.

Harrison Lee Van Buren is an archetypal character, meaning that aside from having his own distinct personality and quirks, he also represents a larger force in this story. The Brutalist uses Van Buren as the representation of post-war, wealthy American industrialists. He's a man who's willing to be generous if it improves his reputation, but he's also willing to take his generosity back the moment it inconveniences him. Van Buren is essentially a shell of a man whose only value is his money, which creates an interesting power dynamic between him and Tóth.