tomazulob

A teenager named Casey (Anna Cobb) decides to try her hand at a video challenge known as We're All Going to the World's Fair. She has heard of how oddly people have been influenced by this challenge; so, she decides to record her "changes" as it progresses. Along the way she encounters a presence that talks to her sporadically. What is different, albeit at times rather tiresome, is the approach the writer and director of the film (Jane Schoenbrun) uses. She employs a minimum of characters while focusing largely on Casey and her unknown communicator, using a camera at times that is being held (via phone most likely) to chronicle this journey. It is effective in capturing the paranoia that creeps in to her psyche as she experiences mental changes. I will be curious to see what Schoenbrun does next.

Lydia Tár (Cate Blanchett) is an up-and-coming conductor who is in the process of preparing for a live concert to be recorded for DG (Deutsch Grammophon), one of the, if not THE, leading labels for classical music. Her intelligence and almost obsessive love for her profession shines and is best shown in one of the early scenes in which she confronts a student who makes a moral stance against JS Bach's music because of his lifestyle. In that scene, one can see a great actress at the top of her craft. Tár's personal life is then entered into picture, and slowly the audience sees the issues she has. The past starts to catch up to her, leading to her need to deal with past issues. I was a much bigger fan of Blanchett's performance than I was of the story, but both are pretty strong, which explains how both are up for Academy Awards. I have 2 more nominated movies to watch and one more leading actress performance to watch. This is either number one or two of each category so far IMHO.

A woman has parked her travel trailer in a Colorado park, waiting for a childhood friend to meet her there. The woman proceeds to meet a collection of odd residents/workders but no childhood friend for quiet a while. The film started out as a kind of Waiting for Godot setup, but it became a study in loneliness of people whose past lives seem to be disappearing. The film reminded me of Nomadland with its haunting loneliness and hopelessness of its characters, but A Love Song took a different turn and avoided the hopelessness. Still, the two main actors (Dale Dickey and Wes Studi) are recognizable from their innumerable background acting roles in past features and come across and relatable and true characters--i.e. Real human beings. This quiet indie film offered a lot of subtle thought-provoking ideas, particularly to people like me who are entering our 60's and 70's. It was a sweet film.