Directed By Todd Field

Starring – Cate Blanchett, Noemie Merlant, Nina Hoss

The Plot – Blanchett stars as Lydia Tár, the groundbreaking conductor of a major German Orchestra. The film begins at the height of her storied 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.

Rated R for adult language and brief nudity

TÁR – Official Trailer [HD] – In Select Theaters October 7 – YouTube

POSITIVES

“Tar” is Todd Field’s first film in sixteen years and only his third feature length film in a career spanning thirty years. So, he’s very much an artist who values his time to meticulously flesh out the projects that he chooses to work on, and the same can be said simultaneously about his creativity on-screen. Unraveling a slow burn narrative surrounding a fictional music composer, Field sifts through a scintillating pathos for a prestigious career that invokes all of the isolation and loneliness of obsession, and how other aspects of our lives can simultaneously suffer because of the unhealthy determination that lends itself to the desire. Because of such, the film does conjure aspects of rage or underlining jealousy between its characters, but never in ways that feel obvious or tacky, insted illustrating many unique and vital character developments that flesh out an element of psychology between them that makes them feel versatile and lived-in with believability. On top of this, the film’s technical merits are grilled to perfection with a marriage of sight and sound that elevates the ominous atmospheric elements that Field continuously churns seductively. The blanketing of the movie’s sound design in particular tickles a tenderness that frequently jumbles perception with all of its many undefined influences, and when combined with the boisterous boom and devastation of the film’s rare but impactful orchestral musical score from the always remarkable Hildur Gudnadottir, echoes music as the boldly evocative essence that has influenced Lydia’s life for better or worse. This is met halfway with the sleekly sedated merits of the movie’s visual presentation, in particular Florian Hoffmeister’s haunting cinematography, which maintains emphasis in the boundaries of a psychological drama that consistently bleeds out into the movie’s canvas. The weathered color correction and tight-knit framing convey isolation into the mental depths of the titular protagonist, and when combined with fantastical imagery during lucid dream sequences, elevates the tension and vulnerability tenfold in a way we not only feel, but also see in visual cues that have been there from the beginning. However, while all of these aspects prescribe something unique to the particulars of the story, the work from Blanchett as Lydia is without question the shining example, which will undoubtedly earn her another Oscar nomination in January. Blanchett articulates and captivates with a cunning intelligence, ruthlessness in rage, and resiliency in demeanor that makes Lydia such a compelling driving force in the movie’s unfurling narrative, but more than that delivers her long-winded monologues, to which there are no shortage of, with a confidence and assertiveness that makes the dialogue-heavy scenes an intriguing circumstance, with Cate’s three-dimensional personality helping to obscure the line of moral clarity that the protagonist delicately treads throughout. Blanchett’s work alone elevates the film in ways that keep my problems from reaching a far more deafening impact, and in the case of her time-honored career stakes its claim for being what I truly feel is her best work in a career that already includes Oscar’s gold.

NEGATIVES

Though a 155-minute run time is great in fleshing out the many aforementioned character dynamics and on-going subplots, the returns that spring from its pacing, especially during the first act, will inevitably leave audiences tested in the worst kind of ways. I don’t want to say that the abundance of time isn’t earned because the script uses it in ways to flesh out a natural progression of elements that materialize by the film’s far superior second half, but it does strain the often-ambiguous direction of the opening act in ways that immediately created a disconnect in my interpretation of the events and exposition that the film was taking us through. It wasn’t until about an hour into the film where I even began to care about the characters or their ensuing conflicts because the tempo of the storytelling never elevated beyond its initial beats, leaving me craving the kind of promise for drama that unfortunately doesn’t materialize until much later in the experience. Beyond this, my only other problem with the film is in the moral imbalance of supporting characters, who receive little to no influence to emit a sense of emotional investment to the plight of their dispositions in the balance of Tar’s many irresponsible actions. I can wholeheartedly understand that this is Lydia’s film first and foremost, but for my money I could’ve used more time and consideration for those characters surrounding her, which in turn would’ve elicited a greater impact to the devastation that Lydia’s obsession entails, especially with a resolution that tries everything to redeem her after some tasteless aspects in her character designs.

OVERALL
“Tar” dazzles with Field’s moody and mesmerizing direction, but especially Blanchett’s galvanizing tour de force performance that articulates the actress has never been better. It’s a layered sociopolitical character study full of power, guilt, and awareness during the social media age, and one with the kind of tightly wound drama that performs at the loudest volume imaginable.

My Grade: 8/10 or B