For ordinary mortals like us, we are so used to giving concessions to celebrities and famous people when they commit human weaknesses like adultery, sexual harassment, and ego-tripping, because in our eyes, they have become godlike figures to be worshipped and adored, that's why we often look the other way when they do shitty things and gasp at all the mayhem that happens after, when all their shit hits the fan.
Todd Field, the director of Tar, also directed Little Children, which starred Kate Winslet, Jackie Earle Haley, and Patrick Wilson - with the latter, being one of my favorite movies in 2006. We wait almost two decades before Field returns back to the cinema with a movie that is so timely, witty, and done with such Biblical relish, I could feel God's whip being lashed in this riches to rags story.
Cate Blanchett plays Lydia Tar, a world-famous female conductor and in this movie - she is the lead conductor for the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra. Blanchett's performance is so commanding, she appears huge and masterful and we the viewers forgive her arrogance and haughtiness because we are in awe of her talent and achievements - a towering woman in the male-dominated world of orchestra conductors.
Aside from Blanchett's performance, I love the script and how it attacks 'being woke' and the canceling of accomplished people and their achievements. I once told my mother that if we had a moral compass to apply on all the achievers in this world, we would all be hunter-gatherers right now - since most geniuses are assholes and have very poor social skills - almost zero empathy even. That's why they are geniuses and we are just ordinary folks.
This lack of moral compass on the lead characters eventually leads to her downfall, which was not swift, mind you, the movie took its time in fleshing our Tar's life and family, setting her up so high, we could just shake our heads when the last scene is played out.
How the mighty have fallen.
I highly recommend this movie if you are like me lol someone who loves arthouse movies with witty dialogue - and it would help a lot if you have a bit of IQ about the classical world, because the name-dropping here is relentless, and unless you know those people Blanchett rattles off in her monologues, you'd be totally lost in context.
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