By Nell Geraets
The nominees for the 97th Academy Awards will be announced on Friday, which means the creators of year’s best films are gearing up for the final sprint in their campaigns. But for the team behind The Brutalist, one of the frontrunners for best picture, this week is all about damage control.
The film’s editor, David Jancso, told video tech publication RedShark News that artificial intelligence was used to perfect the lead actors’ Hungarian (which makes up much of the film’s dialogue). This involved feeding his voice, as well as those of actors Adrien Brody and Felicity Jones, into Ukrainian AI software Respeecher.
Adrien Brody and Felicity Jones in a scene from “The Brutalist”. Credit: A24 via AP
“If you’re coming from the Anglo-Saxon world, certain [Hungarian] sounds can be particularly hard to grasp,” said Jancso, a native Hungarian speaker. “We first tried to ADR [automated dialogue replacement] these harder elements with the actors. Then we tried to ADR them completely with other actors but that just didn’t work. So we looked for other options of how to enhance it.”
The use of AI in film is not new. But this instance – in a film that has sold itself as a monument to artistry – has some wondering whether it could, or should, impact The Brutalist’s chances for certain gold statuettes in March.
What is The Brutalist, and why are people arguing about it?
Directed by Brady Corbet, the film follows Jewish-Hungarian architect Laszlo Toth (played by Brody), who moves to the United States after World War II in an attempt to rebuild his career and marriage. Despite its limited US run, it has grossed nearly $9 million. It also claimed three Golden Globes this month, including for best drama.
AI was not only used to enhance the leads’ Hungarian. Generative AI was utilised as part of the inspiration for a series of architectural drawings and finished buildings in the style of Toth. Notably, the designs themselves were hand-drawn.
The use of AI hasn’t sat well with some viewers, especially following the 2023 Hollywood strikes, which occurred partially because of the threat AI posed on jobs within the entertainment industry.
One popular post on X called it “a disgrace”, arguing that perfecting an accent is a fundamental part of an actor’s performance, and the use of AI in the generation of architectural concepts should have instead been done by a paid designer.
Others have argued AI was merely used to enhance viewers’ experience of the film – not to replace human creativity. “I wasn’t moved by the accent,” one X user wrote. “I was moved by how [Brody] conveyed emotion.”
How have the creators responded?
Speaking to RedShark News, Jancso defended the use of AI, noting it was common in the industry.
“We should be having a very open discussion about what tools AI can provide us with,” he said. “We use AI to create these tiny little details that we didn’t have the money or the time to shoot.”
The Brutalist picked up multiple trophies at the 82nd Golden Globes in early January.Credit: Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP
The film was independently financed and was reportedly made for less than $US10 million ($16 million) over a period of seven years.
The director, Corbet, also backed the decisions, telling Variety: “Innovative Respeecher technology was used in Hungarian language dialogue editing only, specifically to refine certain vowels and letters for accuracy. No English language was changed.
“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.”
Have other Oscar hopefuls used AI?
The singing voice of Karla Sofia Gascon, who stars in the musical noir thriller, Emilia Perez, was also enhanced using Respeecher. Speaking at the Cannes Film Festival in May, re-recording mixer Cyril Holtz said AI software was used to blend Gascon’s singing with French singer Camille who co-wrote the score. This had been necessary to extend Gascon’s vocal range, he said. However, social media users have also been critical of its use.
Other productions have actively distanced themselves from AI. Heretic, a horror which could see Hugh Grant compete for an Oscar, included in its end credits that “no generative AI was used in the making of this film”.
AI isn’t always controversial. After all, the Oscars’ visual effects category often celebrates innovations in AI tools. This year’s contenders include Robert Zemeckis’ Here, which used AI to age and de-age Tom Hanks and Robin Wright, and Alien: Romulus which used AI to create a likeness of the late Ian Holm. Some, including prominent filmmakers, consider AI an inevitable and helpful tool that can enhance human creativity.
But as it becomes increasingly common, clear guidelines around what kind of AI use (and how much) is permitted in the Academy’s best picture race may become necessary.
The Brutalist is cinemas from January 23.
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