Tár

For every era of cinematic history, there are the films that decades later people look at them as the ones that showed a period in time for how it was. Tar will be remembered as one of the movies that defined the early 2020s. It's a complex character study that refuses to take a side, one that shows a deeply complicated person for who she is. This is a downfall story (you can see why Scorsese called it his favorite movie of the year), in which highly successful composer/conductor Lydia Tar falls from grace after allegations (that may or may not be true) emerge that she had a sexual relationship with a student, Krista Taylor, that ended in her suicide. It's an intensely psychological film, with a thin line between what is literally and not literally happening.

An intense character study by definition needs to be driven by a strong performance, and Cate Blanchett delivers not only the best performance of her career, but also the best performance of the year. Every part of her masterful performance is believable. At times she does not seem like a movie character as much as a real person whose life is being broadcast. She is equal parts powerful yet vulnerable, imposing yet fragile, villain yet victim. Blanchett humanizes Lydia Tar and all of her faults in a way that very few completely fictional movie characters are.

Tar is a film driven by well-handled juxtapositions. The primary example (as well as the most successful) is the aforementioned aspects of Lydia Tar's character. The setting of present day Berlin adds to the juxtaposition. It's one of Europe's premier cultural cities, but yet the aesthetic of the film turns it into a claustrophobic, lifeless prison. Even the concert hall of the Berlin Philharmonic, one of the most important venues in classical music, feels limiting. And then, of course, there's the ending. All I'll say is that it took us gamers by surprise.

It is perhaps unexpected for a movie that takes aim at cancel culture to gain traction in the way that Tar did. At a time when people fall in line with hiveminds and nuance is nonexistent, Tar is a movie that shows the deep complications of the human condition, where no one is all good, and no one is all bad. This is a distinctly contemporary aspect that adds a new layer to the classic downfall story, a character arc that has been told for millennia. The corrupting nature of power never changes; Citizen Kane is as relevant now as it was in 1941. The message here is clear: power corrupts not only the individual, but the masses as well.

One of the best things about Tar is the power of what is not shown. Krista Taylor's face does not appear on screen even once. Her voice is never heard either. She is the downfall of Lydia Tar and one of the most important characters in the movie and is completely invisible, and it works perfectly well. This aids the unbiased look at Lydia, by blocking any possibility of our own biases being affected by Krista as a character. Mahler's music is the perfect choice for this movie, as he was one of the great composers of the Romantic era, and is very emotionally driven, especially that 5th Symphony.

In a few decades, people will still be talking about Tar. People will associate Tar with the 2020s the same way they associate Taxi Driver with 1970s urban America, or even Caligari to the Weimar Republic. It will be a window into today's world for future generations. It's a great film back by a fantastic performance that handles its subject matter very well. This is the best film of 2022.

'Tár', one of the most talked about films of 2022 and a serious contender for the Academy Awards, with six nominations, is written and directed by Todd Field - a filmmaker who does not seem at all rushed or prone to accumulate impressive numbers in his filmography. In fact 'Tár' is only his third feature film and it is made 16 years after the previous one. The fictional biography of a great musician - symphony orchestra conductor - 'Tár' seems and was written for Cate Blanchett and suits her to such an extent that after watching it it is hard to imagine another actress in this role. It's a complex and loooooong film (yes, that's its main problem!) which in almost three hours of projection manages to bring to the screen a multitude of problems related to the world of great musicians and the way they combine their careers with their personal lives, about the place of women in a competitive world where private lives are scrutinized and mistakes are not forgiven, about the role of media and social networks in celebrity careers, and about political correctness and its verdicts in the public square of the Internet age. Above all, however, it is a film about the power games in the fascinating and complicated world of great art.

The titular heroine of the film, Lydia Tár, seems to be a model of success in every way. A student of Leonard Berstein, she is one of the world's great conductors, winner of all possible awards, principal conductor of the Berlin Orchestra and professor at Julliard. She has, of course, had to work hard and fight fiercely for this position, as a woman and as a lesbian (her partner is the concertmaster of the orchestra), but the beginning of the film catches her at her peak and the past is not mentioned until it begins to insinuate in the present. Relationships with his daughter, an elementary school student, indicate traumas in the distant past. A conductor with whom she had a more recent relationship pursues her obsessively, and Lydia retaliates by blocking her artistic career. Her position of power seems to allow all but also requires her to make decisions that do not always seem completely professionally motivated. Sometimes it seems that she uses her power to fuel personal passions, but everything happens in an ambiguous zone. Her faithful assistant is skipped by her from a promotion, an instrumentalist in the orchestra is loses to a younger candidate the opportunity to perform a concert, in one of the lessons at Julliard she adopts a very politically incorrect attitude in a dialogue with a student. These are small and debatable incidents, but in all cases the decisions are hers alone. Perfectionism can be a great quality of a conductor who must have absolute control over every sound, tempo and nuance in a concert or recording. But life is more complicated, even than a Mahler symphony.

Director Todd Field seems to have drawn himself inspiration from his character, making some creative decisions that influence how the film looks. However, not all of them are for the benefit of the movie, some seemed questionable to me. The film begins with the credits that usually roll at the end, when the lights come up and the audience leaves the theater. It's a nice sign of respect for the technical team, but should this take precedence over the spectators in the cinema halls? The length of the film far exceeds that of Mahler's symphonies. Yes, this is the fashion in Hollywood, but here I feel that more brevity would have served the film. The first half hour seems like a docu-drama (an excellent one, by the way) about the life of a great musician, and another hour or so passes - spent in the stratosphere of the world of great musicians, in concert halls and luxurious apartments where the pianos don't even fill the spaces, until the drama really kicks off. Indeed, when events rush headlong, we are dealing with a genuine drama, which calls into question the entire world of intellectual and material luxury in which we had been immersed until then. The filming style also changes, from documentary style and long one-shots (see the Julliard scene) in the first part, to nervous editing with action film techniques. Neither the world of music with its intrigues and power games, nor that of the media and social media that can destroy lives and careers come out well in the story conceived by screenwriter Todd Field. The generosity in duration allows for the construction of several memorable roles - mostly feminine. I don't know if Cate Blanchett will get the Best Actress Academy Award this year again (it would be her third time), but her role seemed to me one of the best of a career in which I don't remember any failures or miscasts. I'd rather bet on the award for original script. We will see. In any case, 'Tár' is one of the most interesting films of the year, but also one of those that demands the attention and patience of the viewers. Using, again, the metaphor of Mahler's music, just as his symphonies are not liked by every classical music-loving audience, this film is not intended for every moviegoer. But those who like it, will like it a lot.

Everybody writing about this mock biopic focuses on Cate Blanchett's knock-it-out-of-the-park performance, but when compared to Field's "Little Children" (2006), "Tár" lacks the storytelling and editing skills which make the earlier film a masterpiece of human relations, whereas the latter is an interesting character study that somehow collapses under its own weight.

There's a strong establishing scene showing Tár demolishing an aspiring musician's conceited views on Bach, yet one has to wait for a long time for a follow-up showing the main character's boundary issues. The central topic emerges rather quickly (abuse of power), but there are diversions which support character development, yet drag on the narrative, which is probably why many reviews here find the film frustrating.

Being an ex-Berliner, I like the fact that the city is being used as a real location as opposed to the usual tourist / Cold War hot spots, and the Philharmonics rehearsal scenes are very well done, but they don't really push the story forward and could have easily been wound down a bit.

Nina Hoss as Tár's partner is a brilliant counterpoint, because she keeps a good deal of her thoughts to herself until she doesn't, so more focus on their relationship would have helped the story. Hoss would deserve a supporting actress Academy Award nod if only she had more screen time.

The initial scene of conflict eventually loops back into focus, and Field could have used this to explore societal misjudgment as he did in "Little Children" - but he doesn't, which makes "Tár" rather distant and cold. Field expects viewers to interpret a lot on their own, which is bold and demanding, but with this approach it is crucial to keep focus on an underlying message, otherwise it gets lost.

In conclusion, "Tár" has all the ingredients for a masterpiece - interesting characters, great performances, nice camerawork - but weak storytelling ultimately reduces the film's potential.

Don't be fooled by the great reviews, if you're someone who's not particularly interested in orchestras, conductors and random old musicians from times past, this movie is an utter bore. The first 10 minutes are CREDITS. JUST CREDITS. Then it drags on with the most absolutely annoying, long, mind-numbing scenes where rich, white people just talk to each other about the most esoteric stuff, with cameos of the actress talking to her orchestra about which string needs to be pulled in which direction.

I'm dead serious, 1 and a half hour later, you still can't tell what the hell's going on. It's just scenes of her talking about the most mundane stuff, and playing instruments.

It's a pretentious movie, that appears completely different and way more interesting in the trailer, but in reality is just an elitist blob of nothingness aesthetic. If you value your money and time, don't watch this movie.

During the first minute of this film, Cate Blanchett shows what an extraordinary actress she is. Her character, star conductor Lydia Tár, is waiting to go onstage. There is no dialogue, only body language. But even without words, Blanchett shows what Tár thinks and feels.

Blanchett's remarkable performance is a large part of what makes this a good movie. But there's more. The very clever script gives us a lot to chew on afterards. Tár is a woman in the men-dominated world of classical music. She's not warm, empathic or even very sympathetic. In fact, she has many characteristics that are usually associated with men. She's vain, selfish and manipulative. And that's what gets her in trouble. At the start of the film, she seems to be one of the most admired women in the world. She is extremely famous and successful. At the end, everything has fallen apart.

The film doesn't judge. It leaves it up to the viewer to decide if Lydia Tár is a victim or a culprit. Or maybe both at the same time. The viewer gets a lot of information to make up his (or her) mind. Director Todd Field gives us the story elements slowly, bit by bit. Take the scene where Lydia Tár gives a stern speech to a young girl who bullies her daughter. It shows that she is used to getting everyone in line, according to her wishes. That's useful information to interpret things later on in the movie.

Tár is very much a modern movie. It has things to say about gender, about power, about social media, about being woke. But at the same time, it's a very old-fashioned movie. It takes its time. There are long scenes, and long takes. There's nothing modern in the way it is filmed. And that's a good thing.