Miss Flicks

Tár: Film Review

Cate Blanchett already has two Oscars under her belt and a third is certainly incoming thanks to her outstanding performance in Todd Field‘s Tár.

This drama tells the story of Lydia Tár, who is widely considered to be one of the greatest living composer-conductors. When the film begins, the American is the head conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic (the first female in the role) and is gearing up to perform and record Gustav Mahler’s 5th Symphony with a major orchestra for the first time. Having ticked the composer’s other symphonies off the list, the 5th is a momentous occasion for her. However, her career is derailed and her life spirals out of control when allegations are made against her.

You can be forgiven for thinking Lydia Tár is a real person. It is so well written and the character is so fully-realised that it feels like a biopic instead of a work of fiction – and that was Field’s intention. The fact that some people who went into the movie blind were fooled and a few articles have been written to clarify that Tár is not real is a testament to his rich, authentic screenplay.

Blanchett is brilliant always but she is simply extraordinary here as the cruel, selfish conductor who has very much forgotten where she came from. Her success has gone to her head and she wields her power over people. It was so interesting to see this kind of tale being told about a woman because it’s typically told about a man. Watching the music electrify her body as she conducts the orchestra is magnificent, and there is one moment before the climactic scene where Blanchett’s face says so much. If those two clips aren’t in her Oscars reel I’ll be amazed.

The film doesn’t feel as long as its 2-hour 38-minute runtime because Tár is fascinating and her story is constantly evolving. However, it does start to drag after the climactic scene and didn’t need to be an extra 15-20 minutes after that point. Although I loved the screenplay and expect it to be nominated, I wanted more to happen with Tár’s assistant Francesca (Noemie Merlant) and for Tár’s wife Sharon (Nina Hoss) to do more to put Lydia in her place. The story is also rather vague about Tár’s past and her alleged transgressions but this didn’t bother me like it usually does.

Tár is an incredible piece of cinema with a cast of characters so well written and performed that it feels so real. The Oscars are coming!

In cinemas from Friday 13th January