Tar

Movie: Tar

Nominated for: Best Picture, Best Actress, Best Directing, Best Original Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Film Editing

How I watched: Prime

When I fell asleep: nope

When it had me: Cate

When it lost me: Third act

What systems does it challenge: Abuse and Power

Content Warning: Abuse, self harm 

This movie is mysterious. Is it a commentary on the MeToo movement? Is it a biopic (it's not, but I was unsure and had to look it up)? Is it about abuse of power? Triumph over misogyny? A bad dream? A ghost story? What is it?

Let's state the obvious first. Cate Blanchett is amazing in this film. Review Over.

Just kidding.

The design and cinematography of this film are beautiful and controlled. The story is riveting to a point. I was constantly trying to figure out where it was going and I wasn't ready for what did happen. What started out as a straightforward drama became a puzzle to unravel and not an easy one. 

In the first act, Tar is conducting the behavior of everyone in her world, setting the timing and in full control. In the second act, it begins to slip a bit or take a lot more work for her to stay on top of things. The third act is a complete unraveling of time and life for Tar. It gets harder to even follow the plot as her world disintegrates.

It is a great feeling when you have to do a little extra thinking to get a deeper understanding of the themes and messages of a film. However, when the film maker doesn't leave enough of a bread crumb trail to get you headed in the right direction, the whole thing falls a little short.

I read up on this movie, rewatched it, took notes and still don't know exactly how to categorize it. I enjoyed it as a film and then as an exercise but I couldn't call a movie that requires so much homework a Best Picture.