Oscars 2025: What happened to Van Buren in The Brutalist? Guy Pearce has an answer

The Brutalist has created a lot of hype this awards season. With Oscars 2025 approaching, all eyes are on whether the Brady Crobet directorial will make a clean sweep at the award show.

The historical drama features Andrien Brody, Felicity Jones and Guy Pearce in major roles. All three have been nominated for their performances in The Brutalist.

There was a particular sequence in the movie that left a lot of viewers puzzled. Now, Guy Pearce has given his own take on the scene.

The Brutalist’s confusing scene

The scene in question features a confrontation between Harrison Lee Van Buren (Guy Pearce) and Erzsebet (Felicity Jones). Erzsebet confronts Van Buren in front of his family and friends over the fact that he raped her husband Laszlo (played by Adrien Brody).

The scene devolves into a violent confrontation as Erzsebet is dragged out by Van Buren’s son. The guests leave and Van Buren’s children realise that he has disappeared. Van Buren is not seen again in the movie.

The particular sequence has sparked many theories, with viewers speculating that the character might have died by suicide.

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Guy Pearce on The Brutalist

In an interview with Forbes, Guy Pearce said that he didn’t have any theory on the scene. He said that to him the scene shows that Van Buren has “reduced to nothing at the end” and would basically “evaporate.”

The Memento actor felt that this concept was better than speculating about whether his character had died or ran away.

He called the concept the “opposite of a happy ending” since it forced viewers to use their imagination to figure out what might have happened.

The Australian actor also spoke about how he literally had to disappear while shooting the scene and hide behind a chest of drawers.

The Brutalist at the Oscars 2025

Brady Corbet’s historical drama follows the life of Laszlo Toth, a Hungarian architect. The character moves to the US after the Holocaust to get a fresh start. His partnership with Van Buren, a wealthy and mysterious client, slowly changes the course of Toth’s life and impacts his relationship with everyone he knows.

The Brutalist has received critical acclaim globally. The movie has been nominated for 10 Oscars including best film, best director and best actor (both in the male and female categories). It has also received nods from the Academy for its editing, screenplay, cinematography and score.

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FAQs

1. Who stars in The Brutalist?
The movie features Felicity Jones, Adrien Brody and Guy Pearce in the lead roles.


2. When are the Oscars 2025?
The coveted award show will take place on March 2.