Mega64 Movie Club: Tar

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It's Oscar season (or it was when we recorded this), so we might as well start diving into the good stuff now and see some long, quiet movies about music composers. None of us had seen (or knew anything about) Tar (2022), but it's got some awards season buzz, so we figured it was time to give it a watch. Who will enjoy it? Who won't? And who's cancelled?

[@hazardousjazzgasm129]

One key aspect about the ending that no one talks about is that Lydia wanted to culminate her life's work by playing Mahler's 5th symphony, which is what the opening interview is primarily about. After getting cancelled, she never gets to complete this dream. In Asia, she ends up being haunted by the number 5, like with the woman at the massage parlor who was labelled #5. In a huge ironic twist, the movie ends with her conducting for Monster Hunter World - the FIFTH main entry in the series.

[@treytison1444]

Fifth fleet.

[@tonyzuko90]

The ending is brilliant. For Lydia, a concert a la VG Live is the lowest she could imagine for herself. It’s not a comment on video games being low culture, though. Could have just as easily been Lord of the Rings Live or Game of Thrones Live, but more about the fact that it’s just a freelance gig. There’s absolutely no room for her to have control, which she loves. Those concerts are basically “on-rails”, with pre-determined tempo and no room for her artistic license, complete with in-ear metronome, as the whole thing is timed with a video. When it panned to cosplayers for the reveal of her “punishment,” I cackled in the theater. Amazing.

[@zaengo]

I think it's interesting that what Derrick describes as the movie "wanting to be smarter" is, imo, just the movie having faith in you as a viewer that you're smart enough to figure it out. i appreciated that about it. I get what he means though.

[@sleepscience_]

Rocco with the big brain take on the ending that I was hoping one of them would throw out there…the movie deprives you of seeing Lydia get taken all the way down because it’s trying to comment on modern power dynamics and cancel culture in a realistic way. Like Rocco says, Lydia is too big to truly be cancelled, and the tragedy of this ending is that people in her position who are as abusive as her rarely do face real accountability for their actions, even if we perceive them as being “cancelled”. As Derrick pointed out, those Monster Hunter shows probably make huge money, and Lydia is probably getting paid a ton for it. This is a legit gig for her to be getting considering how over her career should be, with passionately composed music beloved by tons of people, and yet she’s still such an asshole that she sees it as being below her. It may not be the most satisfying conclusion for an audience wanting to see this character get her just desserts, but the movie is more interested in societal commentary than providing that satisfaction.

[@jonapello245]

wow I missed all of this stuff from my first watch, I didn't even know there WAS all that stuff until watching this. Didn't love it on first watch but now I gotta go back

[@dcommet]

Very interesting to hear your takes on the credits, I had a completely diffetent take and loved it lol. I felt like it was to emphasize that no one person can create art on their own, whether you are in communication with a team or simply with the artists who came before you.

[@schnoodlevideo]

Rocco got it! really enjoy these movie talks from you guys

[@juan355]

It's a masterpiece imo. I love how the film becomes increasingly fragmented and scattered as Lydia begins to lose control.

[@Fromaginator]

We need Tommentary on that ending

[@nulltrope]

Derrick's shirt is one he also wore during the boardgame olympics and I copied his look and bought one myself lol can't resist koko the clown merch.

[@joetucci5132]

That fish bowl massage thing was weird because the last symphony she was doing of Mahler's was his FIFTH symphony, which at the very beginning of the film is described as being very difficult in that NYT interview that the film opens on. And she's like drawn to the massage artist who has number 5 on her. So, is it like she's sick that she never got to complete the 5th and hardest symphony? Or that she's like somehow destined to get back to it by fate or by her sheer skill and what she does? I don't really know. This movie is simultaneously really fun to dig into and unpack and debate over what's dreamlike and what's not, and also makes me feel stupid for not getting some stuff.

[@nothere413]

Nah, it's a stupid movie, you shouldn't feel dumb.

[@juan355]

Lydia Tar is basically a character from frasier

[@CorndogNinja]

Frasiár

[@TakeOpal]

I love this film soooo much and I'm happy you al liked it. It hit me like a very, very funny and dark comedy.

[@Kerma7]

I didn't really have any interest watching this movie but I think hearing about the ending makes me almost singlehandedly want to go see it

[@JohnRBIV]

Ive got the Oscar fever

[@SlavicGold]

great job on the analysis on this one, fun watch

[@DrButthugger]

AvaTár

[@SamJDH]

B-b-b-b-b-BASS!

[@lunaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa]

the director chose Monster Hunter because it's actually higher art than anything else in the movie

[@nothere413]

Damn, I hated this movie.

[@C4NUR43DM4N4M3]

I couldn't finish it