Brick – Review | Netflix (3/5)

BRICK on Netflix is a new Sci-Fi Mystery Thriller from Germany. People living in an apartment building suddenly find themselves trapped as they’re surrounded by a wall of mysterious bricks.  Read our full Brick movie review here!

BRICK is a new Netflix thriller with a sci-fi mystery plot. The kind that focuses on survival in a strange and unexplainable situation. And yes, before the movie is over, you will know exactly what’s going on, so it does not leave you hanging.

Already throughout the movie, which has a runtime of just under 100 minutes, we are given hints. Personally, I can’t help but think several endings were tossed around, and I would’ve preferred a much darker ending. But hey, to each their own, and I still enjoyed it.

ALSO READ: BRICK ending explained >

Continue reading our Brick movie review below. Find it on Netflix from July 10, 2025.

Just another brick in the wall?

With Brick, a core element of the plot is right there in the title. We follow a German couple who have gone through tragedy and are not doing well. Especially the game creator and coder played by Matthias Schweighöfer (Army of the Dead) is struggling.

However, if he thought the pressure from his employer and his life partner (Ruby O. Fee) was tough, it’s about to get a lot worse.

From one day to the next, they find themselves trapped inside their apartment. Everything around the building is blocked off by a mysterious brick wall. The doors, windows, and even the walls are surrounded by this strange black wall.

These bricks are unlike any other material. It’s impossible to even make a dent in them, but they do have a magnetic quality that makes them even stranger and more mysterious.

Theories run wild in the apartment building

As the trailer reveals (and, for once, it isn’t a huge spoiler in the trailer), they can move between apartments. They can go through walls and floors to reach other people in the apartment building.

It’s just reaching outside the actual building that’s impossible. Also, the water supply has been cut off along with any and all communication with the outside, which means they can’t just sit back and wait.

Not only don’t they know what’s going on outside, but they will also get thirsty quite fast.

Needless to say, we humans immediately demand answers, and when they aren’t readily available, theories run rampant. Well, I say “theories” but it’s more of a “conspiracy” variety that takes over.

Interesting characters and a strong cast

The lack of answers alone results in some people wishing to remain behind the experienced safety of the wall. Others, however, are focused on the aforementioned lack of water. Watching people react and struggle for a solution is always fascinating to me.

With Matthias Schweighöfer (Oppenheimer, Heart of Stone) and Ruby O. Fee (Army of Thieves, Polar) leading the cast, we have a strong foundation.

Also, the supporting cast offers both charm, humor, and a little something to anger you. Supporting actors include Frederick Lau (Die Welle), Salber Lee Williams, Alexander Beyer (The Little Drummer Girl), and Murathan Muslu (Murder Mindfully).

Watch the 2025 movie Brick on Netflix

Brick was written and directed by Philip Koch, who previously worked on the Netflix series Tribes of Europa (2021). He clearly has a thing for the more dystopian stories set in Europe, and with this latest movie, he manages to make it highly relevant.

The story feels very organic, and the characters are relatable, which makes it come across as some weird story you could suddenly read about. Okay, sure, this exact story is probably still a few decades away, but who knows?! With AI, things are moving very fast!

If you enjoy sci-fi mystery thriller hybrids, then this Netflix movie is for you. And if you like German genre productions like the Netflix series Dark, then I even think it offers a bit of that as well. No, this is not a time travel story, but it is still a sci-fi mystery.

Brick is out on Netflix globally from July 10, 2025.

Details

Director: Philip Koch
Cast: Matthias Schweighöfer, Ruby O. Fee, Frederick Lau, Murathan Muslu, Josef Berousek, Alexander Beyer, Salber Lee Williams, Sira-Anna Faal, Axel Werner