It’s a case of déjà vu with Lydia Tár.

Two years prior, audiences left “Tár” questioning if Cate Blanchett’s dominating composer was based on a real individual. This season, a similar curiosity surrounds “The Brutalist” (currently in theaters, with a nationwide release on January 24), a 3½-hour narrative about a Hungarian-Jewish architect, László Tóth (played by Adrien Brody). The story follows his journey to rural Pennsylvania after World War II, highlighting his confrontations with antisemitism.

Crafted by creative duo Brady Corbet and Mona Fastvold, the film is a made-up tale inspired by thorough research into the Holocaust and the Brutalism architectural style, marked by its straightforward lines, geometric forms, and singular color schemes.

Here’s a breakdown of what is fact and what is fiction in this critically acclaimed film, which bagged the awards for best drama, best director (Corbet), and best actor (Brody) at this month’s Golden Globes.

Is László Tóth a real individual?

The straightforward answer is no. A brief search reveals there was indeed a notable László Tóth, a Hungarian geologist infamous for defacing Michelangelo’s Pieta in 1972. However, Fastvold clarifies, “That’s merely a coincidence. László Tóth is as common a name in Hungary as John Smith is in the U.S. Since we’ve spent considerable time in Hungary, that name felt fitting for our character.”

The filmmakers discovered that very few Jewish architects from Europe survived the Holocaust, noting that in 1933, Germany barred nearly 500 Jewish architects from their professions. While some escaped, many were unfortunately captured and murdered in concentration camps.

“Our production designer, Judy Becker, researched blueprints and unbuilt projects from architects who perished,” Fastvold shares. “We aimed to honor them; we wanted to respectfully depict a character who could have had experiences similar to ours, but we couldn’t identify anyone like Tóth.”

Who served as the inspiration for Adrien Brody’s character in ‘The Brutalist?’

The main character reflects a blend of notable American architects, including Paul Rudolph, Louis Kahn, and Marcel Breuer. Breuer himself was a Hungarian-Jewish architect known for his Brutalist designs, although he relocated to New York in 1937 prior to the war.

“There’s a book titled ‘Marcel Breuer and a Committee of Twelve Plan a Church,’ which substantially inspired our narrative,” Corbet explains. “It offers a rather dry account of Breuer’s challenges in realizing Saint John’s Abbey in Minnesota, mentioning the prejudice he experienced. Yet in the film, similar remarks are indirectly implied.”

Corbet also references “Architecture in Uniform” by Jean-Louis Cohen, which examines post-war architectural psychology. “These two books were a catalyst for our project,” the director notes. “But once we began writing, the narrative started to evolve on its own,” leading the filmmakers to also weave in elements of their families’ histories.

“Mona often reflected on her grandfather, a midcentury designer from Norway,” Corbet mentions. “We discussed his stubbornness and communication struggles, alongside how his sensitivity and compassion were clearly expressed through his creations.” Men from that era frequently suppressed their emotions, creating another point of reference for Tóth’s character, “who finds it challenging to articulate himself, instead channeling his feelings through architecture.”

Do Guy Pearce and Felicity Jones depict real individuals in ‘The Brutalist?’

The film becomes more dynamic with Harrison Lee Van Buren (played by Guy Pearce), a haughty industrialist who hires Tóth to design a grand community center. Fastvold states that Van Buren is not based on any single historical figure, although he may share some traits with historical figures like Henry J. Kaiser, a shipbuilder, and Henry Ford, an automobile manufacturer, both of whom were noted for their roles in munitions production during World War II, and later faced allegations of war profiteering.

In the film, “there’s a subplot about the Van Buren family making a fortune from wartime shipping,” Fastvold details. “I found it intriguing that this character would exploit the very situation that victimizes László.”

Similarly, Tóth’s wife, Erzsébet (played by Felicity Jones), is not modeled after any specific individual. She stands as Tóth’s strongest supporter, urging him to assert himself and stick to his creative goals. The character serves as a reflection for Corbet and Fastvold, both directors in the film and television realm.

“We try our best to be each other’s Erzsébet,” Fastvold shares. “I wanted to portray a partner with greater depth than what’s often shown onscreen. Frequently, we see partners depicted as jealous or frustrated with their creative spouse’s ambitions. But that wasn’t our experience. Most creators say, ‘Let’s set ego aside and navigate this challenging journey together.’”