I don't know. The film made me think of another film, Raging Bull (1980). Both films are shot in vivid B&W, both films depict real people, both films delve into the complexity of the complicated human thing.
Leonard Bernstein and Jake La Motta come across as very accomplished, (one a musician & Conductor, the other a brutally-driven Boxer), and deeply flawed, sometimes totally off-putting, human beings. Both acheived fame and fortune and a soul-sucking celebrity in their respective realms. Both men ended up pretty much broken & unhappy in their own unique ways. Both narratives lead one to the sad, hard-won, conclusion: LIFE WILL CRUSH YOU!
And the big, ego-driven man isn't always what he's cracked up to be.
Why did I basically hate "Maestro," and love "Raging Bull?" I can't really explain it. If you pressed me, I can't really make sense of it. Maybe I think Scorcese's film has more poetry, more violence, more exreme drama, more humor, more over the top madness, and because of that "more-ness," it's a more sastisying and cathartic experience? But I'm not totally sure.
I do think De Niro's Jake La Motta is the greater acting feat & portrayal. But no doubt, both actors transform themselves, both actors delve deep into the psyche of their tragically-flawed characters, both actors try their best to bring complexity to complicated personalities, both actors transform their bodies, wear fake noses, you know, there's lots of similarities.
But really, I don't know.
Maybe, finally, Maestro is really Carey Mulligan's film? Which is a good thing. She is the character you can most closely track with, but, unfortunately, it is a sour, sad affair; Human Beings lying to themselves and others, living the lie, over a life-time of mad success, and mad failure. For some odd reason Maestro just didn't sit well with me. I had a long conversation with a friend, and she too found it brilliant in some ways, and deeply unsettling, in some ways too. So, you know, maybe, probably, it's a really good movie?!
