Tar - 5/5

  Written and Directed by Todd Field

Lydia Tar is a famous maestra, meaning a female conductor in Italian, as opposed to Maestro. And, of course, Lydia did comment in the movie that she preferred to be called a maestro although none of the other characters obliged. We learn of all her accolades at the beginning of the movie when she's being interviewed in an auditorium in front of a crowd of several hundred. Obviously, she's well revered. Then, she does a quick seminar at Juilliard where she berates a gender-neutral student who would rather conduct noise than Bach because Bach was a white man who spawned 22 children over the course of a lifetime. 

Lydia is a genius and also a force to be reckoned with. Never cross her or question her and remain loyal no matter the outcome. Lydia is a loving mother and happily married to another woman yet enjoys her dalliances with other women dependent on her for employment. Just like a powerful man, like Harvey Weinstein for example. 

As with Harvey Weinstein, social media as a countervailing power to that of the individual but it is also unpredictable and scary, like a mob. 

The script was written for Cate Blanchett to play the part of Lydia and it's hard to imagine anyone else in the role. 

The film plays out like a horror movie. It's like watching a train wreck or car crash that you want to see but can't take your eyes off, not at all what I'd anticipated.