"Tar"

Every year, in the midst of watching all the award-nominated films, I come across a movie which tops my "hate" list.  This one excelled, going to my "top-ten hated of all time" list before the credits rolled.  SPOILERS AHEAD.  My biggest issue (there are many) is that the entire project seems designed to keep viewers at a distance -- not bring them in.  It's the opposite of what good storytelling does.  It starts at the very beginning.  The credits -- the full credits -- run for five minutes before the film actually begins.  When the movie finally commences the camera is at the back of an auditorium.  It weaves through, slowly, as voices begin to break through the silence.  It's an interview.  The amazing Lydia Tar, a female conductor, EGOT winner, philanthropist, author (etc, etc) is being interviewed.  It's a quiet exchange and includes musical terms I wasn't familiar with (this was a recurring issue).  After polite applause we go to the next scene and see Lydia having a meeting with ... someone?  Discussing the office politics of the German orchestra she runs.  Then, in scene three, she is teaching a Master's class at NYU to wanna-be conductors.  A young man explains he is not interested in the work of Bach, as he is a pansexual, 21st century guy of color.  Lydia tries to convince him otherwise, and, as he pushes back, she gets irritated, then harsh.  This is more than 30 minutes into this overly-long film and the first time we see any emotion break through Ms. Tar's icy exterior.  Things continue for the next hour and a half.  Meetings, office politics, some scenes of her home life.  But nothing revealing.  Not really.  There are hints.  Troubling emails which Ms. Tar orders her teary-eyed assistant to delete.  A couple of elderly neighbors.  None of it really comes together.  For most of the film events are referred to, not shown.  There are precious few close-ups.  Dialog is so muted I had to crank my TV volume to maximum (for the first time ever).  Lydia remains stoic until the last 30 minutes of the film but viewers are still kept at arm's length.  When she loses her daughter, the one person she kinda/sorta connects with, the brief scene is wordless and viewed from across the street through a car window.  The ending is ... bizarre.  My other really big objection is that this is one of the most anti-women films I've ever watched.  It basically says:  Women don't have power.  When women get power, they are feelingless meanies.  They are abusive.  Just as abusive and power-hungry as men, if not more so.  And, eventually, when they are shown to be incapable leaders, they melt down and become violent and then, of course, crazy.  Nope.  Just No.  It could have been so many things.  Why did it have to be this?