Tár

Cate Blanchett gives a performance for the ages in Todd Field's ambiguous tale of artistry and accountability

There’s an argument to be made that Cate Blanchett is our best actress working today, well at least in this writer's eyes. She’s a two-time Oscar-winner, she has starred in all different types of films from “Carol” to “Ocean’s 8” and “The Aviator” to “Thor: Ragnarok.” She carries a certain demeanor with her in interviews that’s so charismatic and joyful, despite her prestigious repertoire and some of the roles she plays, she’s the kind of actress that’s hard not to be excited for when she’s attached to a project.

“Tár,” which is the first film written and directed by Academy Award nominated filmmaker Todd Field in 16 years, is centered entirely around the esteemed composer Lydia Tár (Blanchett), she’s the first woman to be the chief conductor at the Berlin Philharmonic, she’s an EGOT-winner, she idolizes Leonard Bernstein, lives with partner (Nina Hoss) and adopted daughter in a beautiful postmodern apartment in Berlin, and is entirely self-made. She’s a genius to put it bluntly. She’s also a terrible human being and willing to do some heinous things to ensure that everything goes the way she wants it to. This is a film about her downfall.

“Tár” is the kind of film that basks in its own ambiguity, it’s nearly three hours long, features plenty of symbolism, tackles themes that have increasingly populated the way we talk about art in 2022, has an intentionally messy pace, and it clearly doesn’t care whether its audience fully understands what these characters are talking about when discussing conducting and composing music.

It is easily one of the best films to come out this year.

Todd Field uses the film as a way to tackle cancel culture, #MeToo, and whether or not we can really place art before the artist, but stays mum on his stance on all of these issues, instead leaving it up to the audience to decide what side the film lies on. It’s a difficult, near impossible feat to pull off, but Field somehow does it. There are certain times where the audience is rooting for Lydia Tár to get what’s coming for her, but there are times where we see how social media and taking things out of context can damage a person’s image to a level that is unfair.

Field’s direction is intentionally all over the place. The film has a quick opening shot before cutting to the entire credits of the film, played backwards, before then cutting to a near twenty minute long sequence where Lydia Tár is being interviewed by Adam Gopnik of the New Yorker about her career achievements. But as the film goes along there are also surreal dream sequences, scenes that feel like they could have been taking out of a horror movie, scenes where the film feels almost more like a satire on elitism and the 1%. It’s a start and go kind of film, and while there are cases where that can be a detriment, it’s one of the aspects that works best within “Tár.”

Cate Blanchett, as previously stated, is one of the greatest actresses working today, she has given countless marvelous performances, but her work as Lydia Tár may just be the crowning achievement of career. Todd Field has gone on record to say that “Tár” would have never of been made if Blanchett said “No,” and it’s easy to see why. Field’s direction is already intricate enough, but Blanchett’s performance elevates the film to an even higher level. It’s hard to put into words what Blanchett does with portraying her character’s dramatic fall from grace, but it is nothing short of incredible.

The film’s runtime does start to feel a bit too much as we near the finish line, there are some sequences that feel a bit too drawn out, and make you reflect on whether or not there was a point. As for the rest of the film, “Tár” is one of the most unique and impressive cinematic experiences of 2022.