TÁR (Venice Film Festival 2022 Review)

TAR wholly & undoubtedly is carried by Cate Blanchett’s powerhouse performance, captivating you at every frame of this character-driven downfall.

For many the name Todd Field may not be, or even sound familiar, and that’s for the simple reason that the director/screenwriter has been very selective through the years about what movies he makes, having only given the world: In the Bedroom (2001) and Little Children (2006) both movies that gave way for the lead actresses to be nominated for Academy Awards. Now, after 16 years Field is back and may complete the trifecta with a new original work starring the incomparable Cate Blanchett: TÁR.

Set in the world of classical music, the film centers around World-renowned musician Lydia Tár, who is widely considered one of the greatest living composer/conductors as her life begins to slowly crumble as she is just days away from recording the symphony that will take her to the very heights of her already formidable career as elements seem to conspire against her.

The film’s entire focus is deeply on Blanchett, who carries it with an absolutely commanding performance from beginning to end, every frame with her is filled with unrelenting intensity as we follow this obsessed, and even vitriolic elitist, revered by the art world and her peers, who is obsessed with power and control slowly losing grasp of everything she possesses and holds dear, as the film slowly unmasks the hidden truths of her past while also showing her vulnerabilities.

Tár is focused and dedicated to her craft, every moment with her we find her on a way to a book signing, or on a stage being interviewed in front of hundreds of people, late into the night inside her office working, getting home late only to continue to work or even sleeping in her second apartment where she composes and spends time alone. Work and professionalism to the point of exhaustion are what define her, at first, her peers respect & idolize her stern but fair attitude and way of dealing with her orchestra, her superiors and even her personal assistant Francesca (Noémie Merlant) who works hard to impress her employer and maybe gain new position within the Berlin orchestra, representing the conscience that the composer clearly lost long ago, clawing away at trying to find Tár’s humanity.

Everything that defines who Tár is as a character keeps us at arms-length from an emotional standpoint, Tár clearly has opened up to someone in her past as she does have a family: her wife Sharon (Nina Hoss) clearly is the emotional one in the relationship, the present parent one who has cared for their daughter Petra, to the point their child does not even call Tár “mom”, this distancing through the child that is meant to unite them is a perfect embodiment of the coldness that separates the two and grows ever larger as Tár’s sins begin to come to light.

These sins are ever only alluded to, and we don’t get clear answers for the longest time, as Field merely seeks to illustrate the ugly truth behind the pompous, self-involved protagonist and how she affects those in her wake, and while Tár is not carrying any guilt or sorrow over why karma’s coming back to bite her she is haunted by visions, sounds coming from dark corners of her house in the middle of the night, and the creator’s block when attempting to come up with a new composition.

All these are merely teases that ultimately feel as if they have little to no pay off: much like its lead character: Todd Field’s character-centric self-destruction drama, while thrilling in concept, is one of the most self-absorbed, get-off-on-its-own-self-importance, pretentious movies I’ve seen in quite some time. Its intent is clear, but is chooses to deliver these intentions in the most pseudo-intellectual manner expounding on the clear point it wants to make about the times we live in.

Yes, while it is a movie that discusses sensible cultural/societal and political hot topics in a sensible manner, it also tackles sensitive topics of discuss where interesting POVs are presented but the conclusions it reaches are so simple and obvious it almost begs the question: “What is worth the effort?”.

For a movie that simmers on its point and narrative for so long it never justifies its runtime, nor does it do a great job of balancing the final ten minute where the character-driven conclusion could’ve delivered some satisfaction, but it’s all haphazardly put together in editing we’re left pondering how we got from A to B, how much time passed, etc.

The ending just is not the film’s stronger point, mirroring how the film begins by “artistically” forcing the audience to witness the black screen & white text credits, it is the very definition of what some like to reduce to “artsy fartsy”, and it is most assuredly an acquired taste that general audience will almost certainly entirely despise, but Academy Voters will probably drool at, to the point where a Blanchett Oscar nomination feels inevitable right now.

To say this was a frustrating experience is an understatement, the technical prowess on display is immense and Todd Field clearly hasn’t lost his storytelling voice, but if not for Blanchett’s unrelentingly intense performance the conveying of all its interesting ideas are almost made void by an exhausting and almost unbearable ye mighty attitude that is present from the moment it starts.

TAR wholly & undoubtedly is carried by Cate Blanchett’s powerhouse performance, captivating you at every frame of this character-driven downfall.

But even with the sublime technical prowess on display, it’s self-important attitude & self-indulgence create for an admirable but frustrating experience.

FINAL GRADE: B-

NEXT: White Noise (Venice Film Festival 2022 Review)

About TAR

From producer-writer-director Todd Field comes TÁR, starring Cate Blanchett as the iconic musician Lydia Tár. TÁR examines the changing nature of power, its impact and durability in our modern world.

TAR played at the 2022 Venice Film Festival and hits theaters October 7th.