Something very interesting to think about this film re.

Though she obviously feels that decision is absurd on aesthetic grounds at all, and while that’s technically opinion, she’s as close to being objectively right as it’s possible to be on aesthetics. The point she makes is more along the lines of “a musician who refuses to engage with Bach at all is practically incapable of engaging with contemporary music.” About which she is absolutely correct, it would be like a literature student refusing to read Tolstoy on ethical grounds and still expecting to engage with everything that came after. See, for all that the Tár character is something of a monster, this is not the point she makes. Implies that anyone who dares to dislike Bach for political reasons must be some sort of mindless sheep In a way though, the point of the scene felt like it was more about showcasing the type of character Lydia is though - fond of putting on a big show, obviously bright but also at times cruel, perhaps more interested in hearing herself talk than in being a kind educator who is open to the perspectives of her students. Lydia lacks nuance in a weirdly similar way to what she accuses the kid of doing. The idea that criticisms based on the artist should be automatically off-limits feels pointlessly stifling. I think it's good for art, in the long run, to be able to critique it for any reasons including political ones and cultural ones. My point is weakened by the kid resorting to personal attacks after she attacks him, but still, initially, she was the one who started making things so personal. There ought to be some nuance there, but I think it's worth pointing out that the kid doesn't say that modern audiences are 'bad' for liking Bach, whereas Lydia immediately resorts to personal insults and implies that anyone who dares to dislike Bach for political reasons must be some sort of mindless sheep.

Broadly speaking I think it's good to reevaluate historical figures through the lens of modern-day ethics, and jumping down people's throats for it the way Lydia does in the movie feels just as reactionary as they accuse 'SJWs' of being.

Monster in my closet play script sample