Maestra (2023)

2023 TRIBECA FILM FESTIVAL REVIEW!

The world of orchestra conductors is one run primarily by men, and it’s been that way forever. However, as women make their way into the field, as they begin to prove themselves time and time again, they are getting more recognition than they ever have before. Maestra is a documentary that follows five women preparing for the largest female-only competition for orchestra conductors. They share their hopes, dreams, fears, and more; and as the competition approaches, the weight of what it means to these women threatens to crush them.

I’m incredibly conflicted in regard to Maestra as a whole. It’s a well-constructed film, and it follows these five women effectively throughout its entirety. I’m not sure the film ever falters in this regard–as it always finds ways to bring emotion to light, always finds ways to keep viewers in the know. Maestra is one of the more technically sound documentaries that I’ve seen–and that’s fitting considering it’s a film about music. The sound works brilliantly, bringing these women’s journeys to life with vigor, and the series of cinematographers capture the emotion on the faces of the five women in question throughout the film without fail. Viewers can easily understand what is occurring, even if the idea of music is foreign to them. In regard to this aspect of the film, Maestra is beautiful.

There are moments strewn throughout Maestra, however, that often made me question the validity of what was being said and done. That’s where the film struggles, that’s where viewers will question the film and wonder what its purpose is–and the more I began to ponder the reason for Maestra, the less I enjoyed it.

It sometimes feels like these women aren’t in love with music but rather the idea that they are women and they have to do something special to prove themselves to the world. There are these moments throughout the course of Maestra in which it no longer felt that I was watching a film about music and the women who are good at it–but rather powerful women with music taking a back seat.

Many of the individuals being showcased throughout the course of Maestra are projecting their own ideas, beliefs, and experiences onto the rest of the world. They are assuming that every woman’s experience around the world is the same, that they have all suffered and struggled in exactly the same ways–but those assumptions and projections bastardize Maestra as a whole, and it makes it difficult for viewers to appreciate all that is being said.

I’m not saying that these women haven’t struggled, or that their experiences aren’t true–and I don’t believe that I have all the answers or understanding in regard to their field. However, it feels like much of what is happening throughout Maestra is complaining as they talk about these things. One of my biggest issues with reality competitions (The Voice, America’s Got Talent, etc.) is the fact that sob stories often take over the competition, becoming the reason that some competitors make it so far. These individuals aren’t (typically) successful as a result of their struggles, and those things often become a crutch–effectively stealing from the talent that they do possess. Maestra reminded me far too much of these competitions as the women on screen constantly reminded viewers of all of the bad things that have happened to them throughout the course of their careers–and I was incredibly frustrated by this.

Maestra is a powerful documentary, there’s no doubt about that–but it doesn’t know what it wants to be. Does it want to be a film about women in music? Does it want to be a film about the strength of women? Is it some combination of both? It never truly establishes an identity, and it never developed in a way that allowed me to really appreciate the content. Maestra is technically sound, brilliant in regard to the cinematography and sound–but it’s just not enough.

Directed by Maggie Cantreras.

Starring Ustina Dubitsky, Marin Alsop, Tamara Dworetz, Zoi Zeniodi, etc.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐½/10