Directed by:
Todd FieldScreenplay:
Todd FieldCinematography:
Florian HoffmeisterComposer:
Hildur GuðnadóttirCast:
Cate Blanchett, Noémie Merlant, Mark Strong, Sydney Lemmon, Julian Glover, Nina Hoss, Sophie Kauer, Allan Corduner, Sam Douglas, Lucie Pohl, Murali Perumal (more)VOD (3)
Plots(1)
From writer-producer-director Todd Field comes Tár, starring Cate Blanchett as Lydia Tár, the groundbreaking conductor of a major German Orchestra. We meet Tár at the height of her career, as she’s preparing both a book launch and much-anticipated live performance of Mahler’s Fifth Symphony. Over the ensuing weeks her life begins to unravel in a singularly modern way. The result is a searing examination of power, and its impact and durability in today’s society. (Finnkino)
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Reviews (5)
Like a small yet loud triangle somewhere on the edge of an orchestral ensemble, this film resonates with me more and more over time among all the more familiar and award-winning films. Every once in a while it's great to see a film that delves into contemporary issues, but without tackling them in black and white, for effect, or at first glance; instead, it tackles them in a smart, complex, and ambiguous way. Todd Field manages to do all of this, and he also puts it all into the realms of fictional biography, suspenseful drama, and almost ghost story, so that he has a very varied ride in store for the patient viewer, one that from a distance may seem boring, but it’s most certainly not.
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In places it pretends to be smarter than it really is, but the monstrously long runtime can't be defended, the editor must have gone on holiday somewhere. As an insight into an industry that not one per cent of the population sees, however, it is an interesting and almost voyeuristic look at the disintegration of one prominent figure that is at times riveting. And I would love Cate Blanchett even if she worked on Andrej Babiš's campaign staff.
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The disintegration of life in the post-pandemic era, live... The composer Lydia Tár is not a very pleasant person. She’s a manipulative, arrogant professional who treats people like pieces on her personal chessboard, but with tact and a smile. But the moment they don't perform as they should, she smashes them to pieces. Yet her undeniable talent, enthusiasm for the cause and willingness to submit to the music and take it as her own permeate loudly throughout the film and the viewer must admire her despite all her negative qualities. Lead singer Todd Field mixes in paranoia, comments on cancel culture and lesbian family life (someone has to be the daddy). Cate Blanchett is mesmerizing with her performance and is confidently walking for the golden statuette for Best Actress. And to top it all off, beautiful music. A masterpiece, albeit little self-absorbed.
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This film is heavy, capturing the unraveling of Lydia Tár's persona over two and a half long hours. You witness everyday moments in the life of this conductor, feeling the gradual shifts in her demeanor. It’s not hard to stay engaged, thanks to Lydia's immense confidence in the first hour, which steadily gets battered by the events around her. Even if she doesn’t realize it, the audience senses that a major breaking point is inevitable. However, I felt the ending could have been stronger. The standout here is undoubtedly Cate Blanchett's extraordinary performance, which truly elevates the film.
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A masterfully handled character study of a demonic conductor in the best performance of the year. Cate Blanchett plays a woman who is complicated, intelligent, manipulative and a lesbian on top of that. Overall, there is a sense of a focus on gender issues, but at the same time the film is also friendly to the ordinary viewer, who doesn't notice some of the details or doesn't attach importance to them, and enjoys above all Blanchett's fabulous performance – she doesn't hesitate even in extremely long dialogue passages, when the camera statically, almost voyeuristically takes her in and examines her every gesture. The length is the only significant weakness of the film, with a two-hour running time and the editing of some unnecessarily long passages (ironically, especially the musical ones), it would probably be a major Oscar favourite. Because apart from a great script, minimalist form and thought-provoking dramaturgy, this is a film from a milieu that is almost unknown to mainstream audiences and very interesting.
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