Top Line Thoughts: I honestly don’t even know how to talk about this movie. I think I liked it but I’m not sure I totally got it. It has a very strange tone and slow building plot that just feels like you’re waiting for the other shoe to drop the whole time and, when it does eventually drop, it happens slowly and then all at once. I think it is intentionally ambiguous and part of the story is meant to show that people interpret things differently, but that does make it harder to react to when you’re not really sure how to feel about what you just saw. The main thesis of the film is about cancel culture and if it is possible to separate the art from the artist. But it also muses on power and position and reputation and fame. All of this is done extremely subtly so your opinion in the end says more about you than it does the characters or the filmmaker. This is the type of movie that could probably benefit from multiple watches so you can pick up on small details you didn’t notice the first time that influence your viewing however, it is a slower movie with a lot of dialogue that definitely takes a specific frame of mind to be in to watch it. I’m glad I watched it, mostly to be able to participate in the awards season conversation, but I don’t know that I would revisit it any time soon. The movie would not be nearly as impactful without an unbelievably committed performance by Cate Blanchett who gives Lydia Tar all the flaws and nuances that make her seem human and talented but also questionable and mysterious. I wouldn’t necessarily recommend this to anyone but, if you are intrigued, I think it’s a really interesting watch.

2023 Count: 4 seasons, 14 movies