Anyone else see this?
I ask because there's zero chance anybody I know irl would have seen this?
Any good takes?
I'm still trying to figure out my take. Bad part is it was too...boring...to watch twice. Good but...slow.
Anyway this entire world of cultured urban elite professional is so entirely alien that it was kind of awkward to watch. I don't even own a suit, I will never see a prestigious orchestra anywhere but YouTube. Even if I like classical music, which I do, these trappings make it clear it's not FOR ME.
the way these NPR rich libs are so just elite about something as raw as music. The scene where she had to help the disabled woman back in her chair and immediately went home to wash herself. They might work in passion for a profession but these people are sooo sterile.
It's attitude on cancel culture is something I'm still trying to work out. Lydia lecturing the zoomer student looked like something theys post on redscarepod. Then they slowly revealed that she was a groomer. I liked that. You wouldn't automatically put up your defense mechanisms, they convinced you she was a villain
I liked it. The pacing reminded me of some other good films such as Blow-Up, The Conversation, and I'm Thinking of Ending Things in that the first two acts play out slowly with the thread of paranoia throughout, and then becomes increasingly "fast" and disjointed in the third act in essentially a nightmare (in this case, of her own making).
Just from hearing about the movie beforehand, I was worried it was going to be a Very Special Episode about cancel culture, but it's of course not really that because she definitely did that shit, and most of the drama plays out in her relationships to other characters moreso than on a public stage, for example Lydia's wife seeing her flirt with the younger Russian violinist.
Also, the ending reveal was really funny
Elitism as a theme is interesting and I don't think I'm smart enough to really expand on it, maybe I'll pick more up on the second watch. Obviously, as you said, this movie takes place in a world where 99% of us wouldn't fit in. It shows later in the film how Lydia crafted her name and image as part of her social climbing, and she does some Machiavellian scheming to stay on top.
Something I actually would add about class is that some characters such as Francesca, Olga, (and Krista) exist in these elite circles but show no evidence of being rich or well-connected, so they are at the mercy of the actually wealthy and powerful people such as Tár to advance their careers, which does say something about class and power.