Central to the plot of the director Brady Corbet’s new drama, “The Brutalist,” is an enormous structure known as the Van Buren Institute. A24 Situated in Pennsylvania, it is made of concrete.

This year’s model is 36-year-old Brady Corbet, whose new film, The Brutalist, a 215-minute period epic shot on defunct film stock, has become the unlikely frontrunner in the 2025 Oscar race.