TAR
Added 2022-11-07 20:43:18 +0000 UTCWho has seen it? What are your thoughts?
Comments
Love to see the Carol appreciation.
Tyler Shobe
2022-11-08 03:15:18 +0000 UTCI enjoyed it overall! I think it was dense, but I was interested with the journey of this complicated protagonist. I loved Cate’s physicality and voice; as a longtime fan of hers, it’s always great to see her cut loose like she does in the third act. That being said, I feel like the dialogue is packed with the director’s thoughts about the state of the world today, and I definitely feel like I need a rewatch because none of his arguments about art/society/etc. really left an impact on me.
Jared Angcanan
2022-11-08 01:15:27 +0000 UTCI’m going to have to see it again. I couldn’t get my bearings on everything going on and who everyone was until about 30-40 minutes into the movie. You’re kind of thrown into the deep end with a wave of classical music terminology and casual allusions to the lives and works of famous composers coming at you full speed, and very little exposition is offered as to who people are and what their relationship is to Lydia. I mean, I have a layman’s understanding of classical music ( I certainly know who Bach and Mahler are), but I can’t exactly follow along with someone who has a world-class, bone deep knowledge of it, though I should say that I got the gist of what was going on in that much talked about scene at Juilliard, where Lydia dresses down the student for his rejection of Bach on purely moralistic grounds. I don’t necessarily fault the film for offering little to no concessions to the audience in introducing its world…yet (David Simon does the same thing for his shows, and I admire him for it), but it’s one of the main reasons why I need to watch the film again. Once the film settled into Lydia’s life at home and in rehearsal, however, I was able to follow along. Are you familiar with Hemingway’s iceberg theory of writing? It’s the method of leaving just enough detail in a given scene or story for a reader (or viewer, in this case) to discern what is going on regarding the characters and the world they’re inhabiting. It’s a very implicit, minimalist approach to telling a story. More than the usual elements of theme and emotion are rendered as subtext. Entire characters, worlds, and backstories are rendered this way, too. The entire script was written in that method. In so doing, I can’t help but think of the film in that way: as a giant iceberg. Not just in conception, but in look and feel, too. Cold to the touch. That distant, elusive quality is enough to make me realize why this film, despite numerous brilliant moments (love the massage parlor scene) and Blanchett’s fiercely committed performance, isn’t for everyone. To have to work to fill in the blanks can be an alienating chore for certain audiences, especially if they have to do it for 2 hours and 38 minutes (and yes, the film’s length is another issue for me). Others take great pleasure in doing so. Right now, I probably lean towards the latter, but I certainly understand the frustrations of the former. As for the film’s portrait of a scandal in today’s digital age (i.e. cancel culture), I will say that the film presents a realistic, nuanced, refreshingly ambivalent perspective on the matter. It doesn’t let Lydia off the hook for her predatory misconduct, but it doesn’t glorify the machinations that set about to destroy her career either (You’ll notice that everyone in Lydia’s orbit is happy to turn a blind eye to her abuses of power. It’s only when she’s on her way down and they realize there’s no benefit to being by her side that they turn their backs on her. Complicity is yet another invisible, unstated element of the film). Once I see the film again, I’ll make up my mind more firmly about how I feel about it. It requires more than one viewing to do so. But right now, I feel like there’s plenty to like and admire, but I wonder if the film is ultimately too withdrawn, elliptical, and long for its own good. I shall see on another viewing.
Bennett Oliver
2022-11-08 00:58:12 +0000 UTCHaven't seen it but it's the first film in a while that I'm interested in seeing. Cate Blanchett absolutely blew me away in Carol which is one of my favorites of recent years.
Wolfman Brandon
2022-11-08 00:50:39 +0000 UTCI think that opening scene illustrates that the best. It's like a 10 minute expository scene that is just drenched in hyper specific references that 99% of people that watch it won't understand, yet it perfectly introduces us to exactly who this character is.
David Goleb
2022-11-07 21:11:51 +0000 UTCTotally agree on the dialogue. I didn't understand a lot of the references to people, pieces and techniques but I never felt like the movie alienated me for being ignorant of those topics. The story and characters never gets lost in the sauce as it were.
Tyler Shobe
2022-11-07 21:10:07 +0000 UTCTruly and honestly I think it's brilliant. It's the most nuanced and considered take on "cancel culture" and the confersation around art vs artist. I also felt that Todd Field's gave the character and story about as neutral of a lense as you can where I never felt he was imposing any particular view point on me. He asked me the questions and I have to give the answers. I'm kind of in love with it.
Tyler Shobe
2022-11-07 21:05:40 +0000 UTCLoved it. Disappointed to see so many critics simplistically call it a “cancel culture” movie. There’s a lot more going on than that. The opening credits make it clear where the director stands on the idea of “genius.” Want to see it again soon. Blanchett seems like a shoo-in for best actress, but you never know.
Jim Barnes
2022-11-07 20:55:18 +0000 UTCWatched it four times so far, by far my favorite of the year. It's such a dense film withbso much nuance to the performances and the interactions between the characters. I found it just endlessly fascinating. The way that Fields incorporates some very high level dialouge discussing composing/conducting. Most of it goes right over my head, but you're able to tell what the real meaning is behind everything being said still. Sometimes it is just egoism, other times it's an attempt to manipulate other characters or situations. It's a movie that has so much to offer upon a re-watch as well. I get that a lot of people will find it as pretentious drivel, which is kind of fair to an extent, but it's so well done that I think it elevates itself above that to truly be a borderline masterpiece.
David Goleb
2022-11-07 20:49:01 +0000 UTC
