T�R (2022) Trivia Quiz

Answer: Time

"Can we talk a little bit about translation? 'Cause I think there's still people who think of the conductor as a kind of human metronome," Gopnik asks. "Well, that's partly true. But keeping time - it's no small thing," T�r replies. "I suspect there's a lot more to it than that," Gopnik says. "I would hope so," T�r begins. "But time is the thing. Time is the essential piece of interpretation. You cannot start without me. See, I start the clock. My left hand shapes, but my right hand - the second-hand - marks time and moves it forward. However, unlike a clock, sometimes my second-hand stops... which means that time stops. Now, the illusion is that, like you, I'm responding to the orchestra in real-time, making the decision about the right moment to restart the thing, or reset it, or throw time out the window altogether. The reality is that right from the very beginning I know precisely what time it is, and the exact moment that you and I will arrive at our destination together."

T�r's answer reveals the level of control that she yields in her vocation, which extends beyond leading an orchestra. Her introduction by Gopnik plays over a montage showing the process of determining the album cover for her upcoming box set of Mahler's symphonies to be released by Deutsche Grammophon. The degree of micro-management involved is breathtaking - from the color of fabric for the bespoke-tailored suit T�r commissions, to nailing the exact pose for the cover photo.

Answer: A peek at T�r's performing score

Kaplan dabbles in conducting and he can't resist the opportunity to pick T�r's brain for tips. When he mentions that his fund is making a sizable contribution to the Israeli Philharmonic and that he might be asked to guest conduct for them, T�r says that they would be lucky to have him. "Oh, please. I know my place. Money can't always buy you everything," he says. "You don't really believe that," T�r replies. "I'll have you know I tried to bribe Francesca to let me look at your notation. She sent me packing," Kaplan says.

Later, Kaplan offers T�r the use of his private jet to return to Berlin. "My motives are not entirely altruistic," he says. "Just one peek. One peek at your performing score." T�r chuckles at his persistence but doesn't give in. Towards the end of their lunch, Kaplan asks T�r about the string notation for the final movement of Mahler's "Symphony No. 3". "Mahler gives it to you himself: 'Langsam, ruhevoll, empfunden.'," T�r replies. "Come on," Kaplan says. "Trust me, you do not want to go to school on someone else's red & blue pencil, least of all mine," T�r tells him. "Oh, but I do," Kaplan responds, insistent. "All right, will you quit pestering me?" T�r says, finally giving in. "Free bowing. It's not pretty for an audience to look at, but if you can manage to keep your players out of the weeds, the sound's ferocious." Kaplan can hardly contain his delight, but the next thing out of T�r's mouth deflates him a little. "There's no glory for a robot, Eliot," she says, reaching out her hand. "Do your own thing."

Answer: Max walking out

The scene in Julliard plays out as one long, uninterrupted take, which will be important for later. In the class, T�r makes no secret of her contempt for Max's choice to conduct Anna Thorvaldsd�ttir's "R�", taking every chance to ridicule the piece. When she asks Max why he didn't select a Kyrie like Bach's "Mass in B minor", he tells her that he's "not really into Bach" and that as a BIPOC pangender person, Bach's misogynistic life prevents him from appreciating his music. T�r sees an opportunity to teach a lesson about cultural correctness and separating the art from the artist. "Silo-ing what is acceptable or not acceptable is a basic construct of many, if not most, symphony orchestras today, who see it as their imperial right to curate for the cretins," she begins. "So, slippery as it is, there is some merit in examining Max's allergy. Can classical music written by a bunch of straight, Austro-German, church-going white guys, exalt us individually, as well as collectively? And who, may I ask, gets to decide that?" She thinks a demonstration might change Max's mind, but she can't resist showboating a little when she plays Bach's "Well-Tempered Clavier" on the piano, and Max dismisses white, male, cis composers as "not [his] thing".

"Don't be so eager to be offended," T�r says. "The problem with enrolling yourself as an ultrasonic epistemic dissident is that if Bach's talent can be reduced to his gender, birth country, religion, sexuality, and so on - then so can yours." T�r is pacing around the lecture hall, holding court and relishing the attention. "Now, someday, Max, when you go out into the world and you guest conduct for a major or minor orchestra, you may notice that the players have more than lightbulbs and music on their stands. They will also have been handed rating sheets, the purpose of which is to rate you. Now, what kind of criteria would you hope that they would use to do this? Your score reading and stick technique, or something else?" When Max remains silent, T�r goes in for the kill. "All right, everyone. Using Max's criteria, let's consider Max's thing - in this case Anna Thorvaldsd�ttir. Now, can we agree on two pieces of observation: one, that Anna was born in Iceland, and two, that she is - in a Waldorf teacher kind of way - a super-hot young woman?" She asks for a show of hands and a bunch shoot up. "All right. Now let's turn our gaze back to the piano bench up there and see if we can square how any of those things possibly relate to the person we see seated before us," she says, gesturing to Max.

Max slams the lid of the piano, collects his belongings and heads for the exit. When T�r asks him where he is going, Max calls her a rude name. T�r responds by calling Max a robot.

Answer: A red Birkin bag

Francesca, an aspiring conductor and T�r's long-suffering assistant, manages every aspect of T�r's life, down to updating her Wikipedia page with her latest accolades and public appearances. There are indications of a prior intimate relationship, but things are more one-sided now and T�r has moved on. During a reception after The New Yorker Festival, Francesca tries to pry T�r away from an admiring young patron without success. T�r is enjoying the attention and admires the young woman's red Birkin handbag. Later that evening, T�r lies to Francesca about foregoing dinner and spending the night working in her hotel room, but we see her getting ready for a night out. The next day, Francesca chats with T�r in the backseat of the car taking them to the airport.

T�r asks Francesca what she thought of the New Yorker talk, and when she hedges T�r calls her out. "Francesca, if you have any real interest in conducting, you need to be able to speak your mind," she admonishes. "Okay, perhaps you could have made less of the relationship with Mahler and Alma. You implied that she betrayed him, and I'm not sure I agree with that," Francesca replies. T�r is intrigued. "Alma was a composer too, but he insisted she stop writing music," Francesca says. "And she agreed to those rules. No one made that decision for her. #RulesOfTheGame," T�r argues. Francesca pushes back. "If a woman has the right to mount the scaffold, she must equally have the right to mount the podium," Francesca says in French. She casts a knowing look at the red Birkin handbag sitting on the car seat between them. "How was your evening?" she asks innocently. "Uneventful," T�r replies.

Answer: She has a bully.

T�r's lives with Sharon, the Concertmaster for the Berlin Philharmonic - they met when T�r moved to Berlin and started working with the orchestra. They adopted Petra from Syria and are raising her together. T�r comes home from her New York trip to learn that Sharon is worried about Petra. "She keeps coming home with bruises on her shins, and when I ask her about it she gets quiet," she explains.

The next morning, T�r drives Petra to school and gets her daughter to point out her bully in the school yard. She sees Petra off to class, and then marches up to the culprit. "Hello, Johanna," T�r says, speaking in German throughout the interaction. "I'm Petra's father. She's told me a lot about you." T�r crouches down to talk to Johanna, but is no less intimidating. By this time, all of Johanna's friends have left her by herself in the yard. "I know what you're doing to her," T�r continues. "And if you ever do it again, do you know what I'll do? I'll get you. And if you tell any grown-up what I just said, they won't believe you. Because I'm a grown-up. But you need to believe me: I will get you. Remember this Johanna, God watches us all." T�r keeps a smile on her face the entire time, but her eyes show that she is deadly serious. She leaves a terrified Johanna and crosses the yard, greeting teachers and parents along the way.

Answer: Cello

Back in Berlin, T�r busies herself with preparations for rehearing Mahler's "Symphony No. 5" and auditions to find a new cellist for the orchestra. In the ladies room, T�r notices a striking young woman enter. She takes note of her green boots and leaves for the chamber hall. T�r is one of four auditors evaluating the three finalists shortlisted for the vacant position. Because these are blind auditions, the players all perform from behind a screen. As the last player exits the stage, T�r spies the same green boots through the gap at the bottom of the screen. She erases something on her rating sheet and makes an adjustment.

The orchestra takes on the new cellist on a conditional basis - she is Olga Metkina from Russia, and is introduced to T�r at a welcome lunch. T�r learns that Olga was inspired by Jacqueline du Pre to take up the cello, and that she mastered Elgar's "Cello Concerto" when she was 13. T�r watches a YouTube video of Olga performing the piece and becomes slightly infatuated. She selects the Elgar piece as the companion piece for Mahler's Fifth and arranges for the soloist to be selected among all section members in an open audition, knowing that Olga will have a leg up over every other cellist. The auditors' decision is unanimous, and Olga is thrilled.

Answer: She commits suicide.

Although she is barely seen and has no lines, Krista's presence is felt throughout the film. We first see Krista during the Gopnik interview, when in the midst of Lydia's introduction the camera shows the view of the stage from the audience, focusing on the back of a distinctive redhead. We next see her standing outside T�r's hotel, watching Francesca delivering a garment bag. We later learn that Krista had left for T�r a gift-wrapped copy of Vita Sackville-West's "Challenge", which is about a spurned lover who threatens to commit suicide after the end of a relationship. Francesca also complains to T�r that Krista keeps sending her emails and that the latest one is "especially desperate".

It's not entirely surprising when Francesca informs T�r in the middle of the film that Krista has committed suicide. T�r comforts Francesca and instructs her to delete all email communication with Krista. "There's no reason to get caught up in any intrigue," she rationalizes. "I can't stop thinking about our trip up the Ucayali. The three of us were so close," Francesca says. "Yes, but that was before she started making demands. There was just something not quite right about her," T�r replies. "She had so much promise," Francesca says. "She did," T�r says, as she cradles Francesca's face gently. "Almost as much as you. Now, we have to forget about her. You understand, right?" T�r waits for Francesca to leave and then fires up her laptop. She locates the emails that she sent to various orchestras describing Krista as "troubled and unstable" and warning them about the danger in offering her a position, and deletes all of them.

Answer: His rotation to another orchestra

Sebastian's opinions don't hold sway with T�r anymore (if they ever did) and she is increasingly annoyed by his fetishes and idiosyncrasies. Even Eliot Kaplan encourages her to replace him, pointing out that seven years is long enough to fulfil any obligation she may have felt she owed to Andris. T�r decides to rotate him out, and stops by his office to chat about it. It does not go well.

T�r brings up the possibility of Sebastian fronting a subscription orchestra as Kapellmeister, making it sound like an opportunity, but Sebastian points out that Berlin is his home. "Our only home is the podium," she says. "We all live out of a suitcase. You know that as well as anyone." She tells him to take his time and think about it, but Sebastian doesn't require more time. "It's the girl, isn't it?" he asks, referring to Francesca, who everyone assumes is being groomed for the assistant conductor role. "I knew as soon as she showed up that my days here were numbered. Andris told me not to worry, but I knew." T�r pretends that she doesn't know what he is talking about. "Oh, please. Just because nobody dares breathe it - we know the things you do, the little favors you grant," he says. If T�r is at all concerned by this remark, she doesn't show it. "I really don't know what to say, Sebastian. You, of all people, have the temerity to question my integrity?" she says, taking a step forward. Sebastian realizes that he has overplayed his hand. "No, no. I'm sorry, Maestro. I don't know what I'm saying," he says. "No, it's clear you know exactly what you're saying," T�r replies. "I mean, if that's how you really feel about me, then wouldn't you say that staying is entirely out of the question?" Sebastian pleads for forgiveness, but T�r remains unmoved.

Answer: No

T�r is unnerved by her conversation with Sebastian and the thought that the orchestra could be gossiping about her choice of Francesca to replace him. She goes to Sharon for advice. "I just don't like what he's implying," she says, frustrated. "I know. We barely survived Der Spiegel when you and I came out together," Sharon replies. "But with Francesca no one could point their finger. It's not like you two are in a relationship." T�r quickly agrees. "It just turns my stomach to think the old robot would be right about something," she says. "Well, is there someone other than Francesca you feel is more qualified?" Sharon asks. "There are others equal to the task," T�r replies. "Maybe wait to decide," Sharon advises.

T�r needs to email Deutsche Grammophon about her Mahler box set but pretends that her computer is on the fritz and asks to borrow Francesca's. She sends Francesca off to fetch her a drink, and then searches her email for exchanges with Krista. She is crushed when the search returns dozens of results. She goes to gym to vent her frustrations, returning later to find Francesca waiting in her office. "You did as I asked, and deleted any and all correspondence with Krista, correct?" T�r asks her. Francesca says she isn't sure and will double check. T�r changes the subject. "Sebastian's leaving us, and I wondered if you might compile a list of suitable replacements?" she says. The disappointment on Francesca's face is palpable. "Of course, feel free to add your own name," T�r adds, but the remark provides no comfort. T�r eventually decides not to go with Francesca, but it is unclear if she was motivated by a desire to maintain appearances or a need to punish Francesca for her disobedience, or both. After learning of T�r's decision, Francesca resigns.

Answer: "To be accused is the same as being guilty."

T�r learns that allegations have been made against her by Krista's family, and the Accordion Foundation advises her to retain a lawyer. She turns to Andris for advice during one of their regular lunches. "Have you ever had an issue with a student or colleague where that person may have misinterpreted your intentions?" she asks. Andris mistakenly thinks that someone has been complaining about him, and T�r has to assure him that isn't the case. "Thank God I was never pulled from the podium like Jimmy Levine, or hunted like Charles Dutoit. I take it you're asking for a reason," he says. T�r dodges the question. "Well, there's just been so much of this sort of thing in the news lately," she says.

"Well, nowadays to be accused is the same as being guilty. But I suppose that was also the case all those years ago with Furtw�ngler and a bit with Karajan too," Andris says. When T�r asks who was the better conductor, Andris clarifies that he never played under Furtw�ngler. "When I first arrived here the older members had hushed opinions. At the same time they wanted to leave that era behind," he says, referring to the post-war denazification of Germany. "Someone pointed a finger at you, process started all over again. Furtw�ngler never joined the Party. Refused to give the salute, or to conduct the Horst-Wessel-Lied, or to sign his letters 'Heil Hitler', even those he wrote to Hitler. But he was obliged to be denazified," he says. "You're not equating sexual impropriety with being an accused Nazi?" T�r asks in amazement. "Either way you had to be ready," Andris replies. "For years I made sure all the hangers in my closet were facing the same direction."

Answer: She stumbles and falls on her face.

Olga attends at T�r's old apartment in Charlottenberg to rehearse the concerto, and T�r drives her home afterwards. She follows her into the building one day after Olga leaves something in her car. The building is derelict and Olga is nowhere to be found. When T�r encounters a threatening dog, she runs and falls face-first onto the stoop. She lies to Sharon and tells her that she was attacked by an assailant. She repeats the same story when she arrives at the podium with her face covered in cuts and bruises. "Okay, let's shoo the elephant from the room," she says to the orchestra. "What the hell happened to her face? Did she schedule a nose and eye job and bail before the surgeon finished the other half?" The players laugh at her joke. "Thank you, I'm fine really," she says. "You should've seen the other guy."

T�r sees her physician when the pain becomes unbearable. "It's just my shoulder. It kinda burns, like I fell asleep by the pool," she says. "You've damaged some nerves. The burning sensation you're feeling is called notalgia paresthetica," the doctor says after examining her. "Well, how do we treat it?" T�r asks. "You don't. Eventually it goes away. An adjustment might help. You're somewhat crooked," the doctor replies, in what might be the most apt description of T�r in the entire movie. T�r has injured her right arm, which as she explained to Adam Gopnik is what she uses to mark time and move it forward. The well-honed control that she exerts over her life is diminishing.

Answer: Krista embarrasses her at work.

T�r receives a link to a viral video containing footage filmed secretly during her Julliard class that has been edited to place her words out of context and juxtaposes footage to give the wrong impression. When she is summoned by the orchestra's board to provide an explanation, she is blindsided to learn of a "New York Post" article that paints her as a sexual predator with a pattern of grooming young women with promises of professional favors. T�r dismisses the allegations, but is put in the uncomfortable position of having to explain Krista's fixation on her to the board.

T�r misses the orchestra's donor meeting because she is being deposed by lawyers acting for Krista's parents. During the deposition, she learns that Francesca not only didn't delete her emails with Krista but has shared these with Krista's family. To make matters worse, T�r's copy of her performance score for Mahler's "Symphony No. 5" goes missing. While in New York for the deposition, T�r visits Eliot Kaplan's office and learns that the Accordion Foundation is cutting ties with her. "Well, now I can buy my own plane tickets, and you can bother someone else to try and teach you to crawl to the podium," she says as she leaves, slamming the door to Eliot's office in the process. T�r returns to Germany and learns that she's been removed as conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic.

Answer: She is upset that T�r didn't confide in her.

T�r brings Olga with her on the trip to New York, but the younger woman is constantly on her phone and blows her off for someone else. After a video of them is posted on social media, T�r avoids Sharon's calls. "I tried calling you last night. Did you have fun with her?" Sharon asks when T�r returns home. T�r claims that she just needed someone to help with her bags after Francesca's resignation. "There are many things I accept about you, and in the end I'm sure I could get over something like this. But that's not we're talking about, is it?" Sharon says, before asking about the accusations by Krista's parents. "Do you honestly believe what they're saying? They're lies," T�r says.

"Do you understand what it was like to walk into my sectional yesterday and to see everybody whispering about me? It's got nothing to do with what they're accusing you of - it's a simple matter of not warning me that our family is in danger," Sharon replies. "And what good would that have done? I mean, what could you possibly do to make things better?" T�r asks. "Because I deserve that. Those are the rules," Sharon says, before reminding T�r that there was a time when she would ask for Sharon's counsel, like when she was working out how to secure a permanent position with the orchestra. "You asked me what were the politics, what were the moves, how could we swing it," she says. "Of course, these conversations took place in another bed. Or rather, the couch of that horrible place you still can't let go of." T�r doesn't want to hear old grievances. "How cruel of you to define our relationship as transactional," she says. "There's only one relationship you've ever had that wasn't, and she's sleeping in the room next door," Sharon replies, referring to Petra. "Apparently this hasn't even crossed your mind." T�r moves back into her apartment in Charlottenberg, and Sharon starts withholding Petra from her.

Answer: Eliot Kaplan

We see technicians busying themselves backstage as audience members take their seats in the grand hall. The house light dim, and the orchestra members' arrival is met with deafening applause. The principal trumpet player starts the first movement offstage, as T�r had planned, when suddenly she appears next to him. She steels herself and enters stage right, breaking into a run as she body-slams Eliot Kaplan, knocking him off the podium. The orchestra stops playing as troubled murmurs rise up from the audience.

T�r takes Eliot's place and adjusts the music, which she recognizes - it appears that Eliot finally got his wish to work off of T�r's performance score, explaining why it mysteriously went missing and precisely when the orchestra board decided to replace her with Eliot. "This is my score!" she screams. Eliot tries to calm her down but she slaps him across the face and begins kicking him repeatedly in the ribs. Security arrives and wrestles T�r away.

Answer: A cosplay convention

T�r travels to the Philippines and meets with her new employers. They converse among themselves in Tagalog before addressing her. "I'm so sorry," the woman says. "We just wanted to confirm that the composer was in fact not flying in from Osaka to attend the concert." When T�r mentions that she couldn't find the score in any music library, she is handed a thick manuscript.

She attends rehearsals with a youth orchestra, where she talks about the composer's intent, and we see her studying the music with her usual focus and intensity. When the performance day arrives, T�r is ushered onstage and handed a click track headset, which she puts on. She readies herself and waits patiently as three large movie screens are lowered from the back of the stage. The orchestra begins playing the music to the video game "Monster Hunter" as the game's intro is projected onto the screens. The camera pans to show the auditorium full of cosplayers dressed as characters from the game as the music reaches a crescendo.

T�r has to conduct to a click track so that the music synchronizes perfectly with the accompanying film, which means that the control she previously wielded over the movement of time has been taken away from her completely. Her fall from grace is complete.