By: Dan Langlois

Dan Langlois — Wed, 25 Jan 2023 10:57:22 +0000

I don’t incline to look for messages here — I liked the movie, but it’s a character study that is also quite funny, in a sly way. I say ‘no messages’, but there are preoccupations, or meanings — I think ‘oh yeah I get what that is, that’s observant’. For example, an intellectual celebrity with sexual charisma up the wazoo. Of course, revealed in slow drips of poisonous information to be a bona fide sexual predator. Actually, Lydia doesn’t seem so much a monster or ‘bad person’ to me, as sort of a case of when the dazzling and charismatic older genius appeared to love you back. This dazzling, charismatic older genius tired of you and then dropped you. Or is there worse? But, I don’t mean to pin down exactly what is being said about the interplay between power and gender or whatnot. Instead, this is a complicated woman. How impressed am I, this is rare clever stuff. The composition is clever. That classroom discussion about Bach, the argument that gets heated, it’s really super precise, the framing, all one take is it? And Blanchette *playing the piano*? Quite well, I think. Of course, it’s a showy and hammy role. I’d say, that Blanchett is particularly suited for it. As a predatory older woman and so forth, oh well. I haven’t explained well, but feel that this movie is smart and great.

Comments on: TÁR Movie Recommendation and That Ending Explained

By: Dan Langlois