The setting: how many dramas are set in and around a symphony orchestra?
The dialogue: starts as a New Yorker interview and remains at that lofty level.
The acting: Cate Blanchett is a lock for an Oscar nod, and the great German actress Nina Hoss (Barbara, Phoenix) is just as good in a subtler featured role.
The directing: Todd Field’s stamp is all over the film, predominantly shot in close-up with lots of negative space in a wide-screen format, and I can’t even remember if it’s in color or black-and-white.
The score: in a movie about a conductor, there is zero background music, making the orchestral bits stand out.
The story: Even the most guarded review unfortunately gives away the ending; so the suspense is how it happens, not what. The ending: Whaaa? It’s a close call as to which goes furthest off the rails, Lydia Tar or the movie she’s in. In sum: powerful and gripping, but unresolved and frustrating.

A loud and frantic collage of David Bowie’s personae, songs and thoughts, in that order, without concern for dramatic arc or, even, chronology. You could watch almost any fifteen minutes of the two-hour-plus film and see all there is to see. The songs are different, but none play out at length. Greater attention is given to Bowie’s costumes, hairstyles, makeup and facial expressions. He is good-looking, but I wonder if I wouldn’t have more enjoyed watching, in sequence, the music videos for “Changes,” “All the Young Dudes” and “Ashes to Ashes.”  This is not a film for the casual fan.