“Until you make the unconscious conscious, it will direct your life and you will call it fate.”—Carl Jung
Holy drama mask, Batman, this movie is unreal. Aside from being a masterclass in how to prepare a role as a performer, this film tells a measured story of the grave impact of our unconscious choices as a result of arrested development, lack of discernment, and mental illness. The movie reveals through intentional dialogue how mundane and insidious the effects of grooming can transpire within inconspicuous daily interactions. And oh my, I never realized how much insufferable attention used to be paid to looking “pretty”. No judgement is needed with this incredibly well crafted story. The moral comes across without effort. It is exceptionally well acted and filmed. Natalie Portman is extraordinary in her role.
Armrest rating: I have no clever remarks; it deserves all the armrests however life leads.
“Your vision will become clear only when you can look into your own heart. Who looks outside, dreams; who looks inside, awakes.” Carl Jung
FYI MOMENT: If you’re looking for a documentary style movie about the life of Leonard Bernstein, this ain’t it, my little beans. Kindly steer clear from Maestro. This movie is a deeply felt, often uncomfortable, and candid exploration of a deeply gifted and tormented composer. The film is an acquired taste. It’s esoteric. It carefully unpacks of how we balance our inner and outer lives. It offers a voyeuristic lens into a subjective artistic process; what makes someone tick. It is, imo, not for everyone.
Otherwise, if you’d like to move past the cliche “they made it, they don’t have problems!” and drink a frothy 2024 toast of the shit spirit that many of us sip, buckle up and batten down the hatches for this special film.
FUN FACT CONTEXT: (some composer tea)
-Handel threatened to throw a singer out of the window for not singing his piece.
-Bach was crabby and wrote the well tempered clavier from jail after ditching his job.
-Mozart was cocky and inappropriate.
-Beethoven was unclean and angry.
-Puccini was a cheater and organ pipe thief.
-Wagner was deeply anti semitic and ran from creditors.
-Berlioz tried to murder his crush’s boyfriend.
WACKINESS METER FOR LENNY: LB doesn’t seem to score too high on the wackiness meter. He didn’t struggle with many of the above challenges. He was full of life. I would have loved to have known him and been his friend. Yes, he chose to marry a woman as a self declared gay man in a dark lgbtqia time. He was fascinated with Michael Jackson. He faced inner demons. However, he was a tremendous force for good during his lifetime as an American conductor (1st to conduct an American orchestra), composer (in many genres,) pianist, music educator, author, and humanitarian. Oh how lucky were the folks who witnessed Bernstein, near the end of his life, as he conducted an historic performance of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 in Berlin to celebrate the fall of the Berlin Wall.
So with that info in tow, the movie Maestro pulled back the curtain and transported the viewer inside the inner world of Leonard Bernstein.
MOVIE CATNIP: The conducting scene at the end. BRAVO, Bradley Cooper. That shit is hard to do even with a seasoned and trained composer. He did a great job as a conducting civilian.
COMMAND PERFORMANCES: Bradley Cooper. He gave a fearless and powerful performance. I was captivated. I did enjoy Cary Mulligan but perhaps she did too well because her character was deeply triggering to me. I suspect I may have faced similar situations and been magnetically drawn to someone like Berstein if I was living during that time. I did love seeing where and what my tribe was doing during the mid 20th century. Outside of the funny or villainess gay, there’s not a lot of movies that show the regular gay folk. We were there, people.
CLEVERNESS: The use of the blackout curtain was brilliant when Berstein was with his love David Oppenheim at the beginning of the movie. It was a poignant symbol of the energy usurped from hiding and living a life feeling trapped.
WHY YOU SHOULD CHECK THIS OUT:
-The acting was sublime.
-The soundtrack was lovely. I guess I didn’t fully grasp how many genres LB was able to skillfully master.
-The stylized editing; use of film color/colorlessness, and the conversational feel of this personal expose.
-It’s inspiring to witness “preparation meets opportunity” when Bernstein gets his first big break.
NITPICK: The spoken dialogue and soundtrack was imbalanced. We spent a good amount of time raising and lowering the volume. It seems odd that this was an issue.
ARMREST RATING: I raise 2 heavy armrests with enthusiastic gravita in the style of the bigger than life Leonard Bernstein conducting pattern. Bravi to all who made this thoughtful and unique film.
Armrestrenegade 