Reviews

I am overjoyed to see a leading queer character playing a grey antagonist. Tár had me questioning the direction of the plot until the very last moment. It provides a striking portrait of a person who has success go straight to their head. Watch Tàr manipulate her partner and colleagues so seamlessly that you question if its actually happening. Then, as the story progresses, Tár's luck runs dry. Although I find myself rooting for her demise, I can't help but sympathise with Blanchett's character.

As a lesbian myself, I found this sobering depiction of a not-so-healthy romantic relationship refreshing. At some point, it becomes obvious to everyone (except Tár) that Tár is pursuing a younger woman in her orchestra. Rather than call her out on it, the cast of characters all sit in an uncomfortable silence, hesitantly agreeing with Tár's plan. This silence, with the uneasy faces of her colleagues, was the defining moment of the film for me. Its as if her musical genius and professional fame entitles her bending people to her will... Until it does not. When her partner finally addresses Tár's crush on the cellist, she displays denial of any wrongdoing. This bombastic selfishness is a portrayal I have not yet seen in a woman character. I am impressed with Blanchett's take on the complexity of her character. Tár is a deeply flawed and abusive woman, but she is completely blind to her own wrongdoing in the beginning of the film.

The final 20 minutes of the film transported me out of the delicately crafted story, and had me questioning the authenticity of the plot thus far. As the film was shot almost exclusively from Tár's point-of-view, I realised that the narrative was unreliable and biased. The directing/writing makes this clear toward the end of the film, when increasingly bizarre and dramatised events unfold. I interpreted this as Tár reflecting back on her moment experiencing cancel culture, and painting herself as the victim. The moment where she rugby tackles the conductor who replaced her is not a real event, but perhaps a revenge fantasy which Tár dreamt up after the fact? The story, desperately but unsuccessfully showing her new life in Thailand(?), is indicative of Tár herself trying to start a new chapter divorced from her "maestro" life, but not succeeding to recover from her fall from grace.

All in all, I can't wait to watch Tár again. I think this is one of those films that promises new interpretations each time you visit it. I am impressed with Blanchett's stunning portrayal of a butch woman. Her acting on this matter was subtle (posture, walk, movement) but highly believable and far from the comic portrays of butch women in other media. Tár's lesbianism was not central to the plot, nor was it fetishised or fixated on. Tár is a woman conductor and portrays abusive behaviour typically associated with male artistic genius. This simple tweak of her identity highlights problematic behaviour and renders it genderless. I think that portraying queer women as 3D villains is the ultimate respect and compliment. It allows for minorities to be depicted as fully-fleshed out humans, which we as viewers are free to love or love to hate.

A stunning portrait of Mexico. I am South African, and there are echoes of my country in every corner of this film. Be it the dusty plains, the domestic workers, the many absent fathers and the government shooting at students in the street. But setting all the politics and feminism aside, Roma is a warming story about family. Beautiful cinematography and unpretentious characters leaves you with a sense of quietness - like the courtyard outside the house.

I ADORED the lighting and set design of the film. The colours were amazing! The CGI of the robots and the simple effects of harsh lights and shadows on faces was beautiful.

The plotline and story was interesting and unusual, with a few unexpected twists. That being said, I though that the acting could have used some polishing. The music was mediocre and the moral of the story was something I've seen a thousand times.

But an all round thumbs up to the writers. I thought the writing of the character "Alex" was brilliant. He was such a good villian! I kept on expecting him to turn good or something, but I am so glad that Julia defeated him in the end. The hand thing was a nice humorous scene in a bunch of funny moments. Julia was strong and well-rounded, but I thought the whole treating Tau like a little child one moment and as the love of her life the next was a little out of place.

This was an entertaining movie you'd curl up and watch at home. Not too serious, not too light-hearted and something that keeps you at the edge of your seat all the way through. Hood job.