Ed Harris is an excellent actor, and that showed in the film. Because his acting was better than what the film was, it highlighted the failings of the film. A similar example was Daniel Day-Lewis in The Gangs of New York. It could be reasonably argued that each of these actors over-played their roles in the respective films.

I found the device of tracking shots with foreground items out of focus ridiculously repetitive and distracting. The music was great, but the visuals – cutting repetitively between Beethoven and Holz – were distracting. And I agree that there was a conceit to Anna’s conducting. Ultimately, I think the story fails to engage because the central relationship lacks verisimilitude.