Tár

Cate Blanchett is a master. She plays this character with just the right amount of passion, smarts, talent, pettiness, vanity, and neurosis.

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We can’t dislike the character outright because there is plenty of merit there, yet we have to acknowledge that she has serious issues with power and is not a nice person. I love that we are finally getting female lead characters who are complicated!

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There are long scenes in this movie that show the impressive level of craft of Cate Blanchett. She plays a fictional real person who makes decisions that catch up to her, as happens to people with power all the time.

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The scriptwriting is masterful as well. So many times, a small detail we might not have paid much attention to suddenly makes sense, or a comment dropped in a passing conversation gains importance when we think about it again later.

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The ending gives weight to the opening scene. Every scene and statement has value; nothing is wasted.

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This is a beautiful, painful film that had me squirming in my seat most of the time. There is a sense of careening around corners while driving along a precipitous mountain road. Even the scenes in which music takes center stage aren’t enough to make us feel comfortable.

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