Zulema Ali
Director Todd Field returns from a 16-year hiatus with the critically acclaimed film Tár to masterfully create a narrative that captivates and confounds.
Not a single second of screen time is wasted in the 6 x Oscar-nominated Tár, as cinematographer Florian Hoffmeister creates beautiful moments of on-screen artistry.
Cate Blanchett delivers a compelling performance as Lydia Tár, a revered maestro, set to record Gustav Mahler’s Fifth Symphony. It’s a career-defining moment in a profession that has already adorned her with plenty of titles and achievements.
We follow Tár on her delirious descent into crisis. With her suspicions heightened, you feel the imminence of threat upon her. Tension is expertly injected into scenes by Field through persistent hallucinatory sounds and veiled secret messages – what better way to show a conductor’s descent into madness than a hidden metronome just out of reach?
We aren’t privy to what’s looming behind closed doors, but it is obvious that her past is back to haunt her.
Tár in our World
The existence of Lydia Tár seems so within reach, so much so the audience is forgiven for believing her to be a real figure. She makes sense in this world, and without her existence, we are left with a Tár shaped power vacuum.
But what makes the character so believable is our extensive introduction to her as she is interviewed on stage (by the real) Adam Gopnik from The New Yorker. He monologues a bullet point summary of her biography, revealing her prestigious EGOT status amongst the sea of her accomplishments.
“the tantalising taste of fame fuses with the downfall of her own ego”
While on stage Tár appears self-effacing and off-stage she is flattered by approaching admirers. With grace, she makes time for them, while her assistant – brilliantly played by an incensed Noémie Merlant – huffingly reminds her of other engagements. It is apparent that this isn’t her first time, but Tár’s recurring infatuation with the young women in her musical sphere.
An Undoing
Tár’s reputation precedes her, the name strikes fear and resentment into the hearts of her peers. The opening image of the film is a covert livestream of the artist accompanied by unflattering text. It seems admirers and enemies are often two sides of the same coin.
But is this the outcome of her own doing? Her violinist wife, Sharon Goodnow (a stoic Nina Hoss) observes that the only non ‘transactional’ person in Tár’s life is her daughter. Everyone else is tactically placed to play a part. But how long is this sustainable? The dissonance between her illustrious career and her unravelling personal life soon clashes loudly onscreen.
Drowning in power, Lydia Tár goes about life without limitations, but the tantalising taste of fame fuses with the downfall of her own ego. Even as higher powers and authorities become involved, anything damaging her reputation seems unfathomable, making the ending an even greater *chefs-kiss* comeuppance moment.
“Tár invites you to reflect about morality and cruelty”
Tár invites you to reflect on morality and cruelty, whilst raising questions. Is Lydia Tár the inevitable result of the path to success or an anomaly bound only by her own actions? Field leaves you to decide for yourself. But Tár will linger in your mind long after its closing scene.
Featured image courtesy of Alberto Bigoni via Unsplash. Image license can be found here. No changes were made to this image.
zulema
A Liberal Arts graduate from the University of Leeds, Zulema Ali is an aspiring writer. She is an everything literature and film enthusiast, writing reviews and commentaries.