Tar (B+ or 3.5/4 stars)
The world's greatest female conductor/composer must contend with growing pressures on her work-personal life balance in 'Tar' (written & directed by Todd Field, of In the Bedroom, Little Children). Plainly put, she is a musical genius, a fiercely protective mother to her adopted child, a passionate lover, a carefully guiding mentor, a magnanimous benefactor; she is also a vicious manipulator, an ethically-questionable teacher, an irascible narcissist, an authority on transactional relationships, an icily efficient administrator ... and an alleged sexual predator.
At the start of this languorous 158 min. long film, stoic-yet-twitchy Lydia Tar is shown to be a huge star at the apex of the world's orchestral community. The celebrated conductor/composer, currently residing in Germany to lead the Berlin Philharmonic, is hyper-focused & astutely intellectual ... to a fault. Her career accomplishments are wildly impressive. Before relocating to Berlin, she worked {and sometimes still works} in Boston & NY {teaching at Juilliard}. She is an EGOT winner (Emmy/Grammy/Oscar/Tony), & once studied under her favorite musician - the late, great maestro Leonard Bernstein. But as she prepares to lead her orchestra in a live recording of Mahler's 5th Symphony ... her personal life starts to unravel.
But her problems are of her own making. Recently, former scorned protege (and, perhaps, lover), Krista Taylor, has become 'unstable' & obsessed, sending Lydia bizarre gifts when the conductor tries to cut her out of her life. Currently, Lydia thinly veils her attraction to a new cellist, Olga (Sophie Kauer), which is a gross act of disrespect to her loving wife, violinist Sharon (Nina Hoss, stellar). Lydia coldly bypasses Francesca (Noemie Merlant, so good here & in Portrait of a Lady on Fire), her personal assistant {another former protege who seems to want to 'be'/be with Lydia}, when there is an opening for an asst. conductor's position.
Her ego even rears its head when she admonishes a 'BIPOC pangender' student who has no interest to study, play or conduct the music of Bach, a dead white man who sired 20+ children. And ultimately, Lydia's pattern of exploiting her mentor-pupil position to prey on young women reaches a breaking point: that scorned protege I mentioned above has committed suicide & the media has picked up the story. Up against a wall of adversity, Lydia starts buckling under the mounting pressures.
'Tar' is the study of the disintegrating psyche of a woman who, by way of her own ego & predatorial actions … basically "cancels" herself. Patience & an absorbent brain are required to fully engage with Blanchett's stinging portrait. The cold specificity of the setting & a slow pace may be a challenge for viewers. But once the film gets past establishing Lydia & her world in such an all-encompassing way, you feel invested in seeing where it will all lead.
Blanchett is always masterly when it comes to her performances, but here she shows even more abilities {speaking German, learned to play the piano, throws herself into her conducting}. She gives us a clinic on how to fully inhabit an individual & bring her to life without resorting to overblown affectations. Lydia Tar is complex, unrelatable, enigmatic, mesmerizing, & morally reprehensible -- a monster, really. But then writer/director Todd Field does well to give Lydia "one" redeeming quality: her love for adopted daughter, Petra (Mila Bogojevic).
I also enjoyed Allan Corduner as an asst. composer that Lydia casually & cruelly ditches; Mark Strong, an investor/amateur conductor who Lydia bashes; Noemie Merlant, the long-suffering, seemingly loyal personal asst. who has sublimated her own ambitions in order to serve Lydia's; and Nina Hoss, Lydia's devoted wife who, by the end of the film, has just about had enough. How most of these people unhealthily worship her is something to behold.
On the technical front, I commend the film's direction & moody cinematography. I also love the sound design. To that, for Lydia to cope with her many stresses, she takes pills for insomnia & paranoia {she's susceptible to being disturbed by all repetitive sounds, both musically bombastic & infinitesimal}. 'Tar' unfolds on its own terms & makes us accept that Lydia's story may not enthrall on a 'blockbuster movie' level. But it's fascinating to note that while Lydia Tar is not a real person, there is an immense intellectual & emotional honesty here that makes this film seem so much stronger than most real biopics -- great achievement.
At the start of this languorous 158 min. long film, stoic-yet-twitchy Lydia Tar is shown to be a huge star at the apex of the world's orchestral community. The celebrated conductor/composer, currently residing in Germany to lead the Berlin Philharmonic, is hyper-focused & astutely intellectual ... to a fault. Her career accomplishments are wildly impressive. Before relocating to Berlin, she worked {and sometimes still works} in Boston & NY {teaching at Juilliard}. She is an EGOT winner (Emmy/Grammy/Oscar/Tony), & once studied under her favorite musician - the late, great maestro Leonard Bernstein. But as she prepares to lead her orchestra in a live recording of Mahler's 5th Symphony ... her personal life starts to unravel.
But her problems are of her own making. Recently, former scorned protege (and, perhaps, lover), Krista Taylor, has become 'unstable' & obsessed, sending Lydia bizarre gifts when the conductor tries to cut her out of her life. Currently, Lydia thinly veils her attraction to a new cellist, Olga (Sophie Kauer), which is a gross act of disrespect to her loving wife, violinist Sharon (Nina Hoss, stellar). Lydia coldly bypasses Francesca (Noemie Merlant, so good here & in Portrait of a Lady on Fire), her personal assistant {another former protege who seems to want to 'be'/be with Lydia}, when there is an opening for an asst. conductor's position.
Her ego even rears its head when she admonishes a 'BIPOC pangender' student who has no interest to study, play or conduct the music of Bach, a dead white man who sired 20+ children. And ultimately, Lydia's pattern of exploiting her mentor-pupil position to prey on young women reaches a breaking point: that scorned protege I mentioned above has committed suicide & the media has picked up the story. Up against a wall of adversity, Lydia starts buckling under the mounting pressures.
'Tar' is the study of the disintegrating psyche of a woman who, by way of her own ego & predatorial actions … basically "cancels" herself. Patience & an absorbent brain are required to fully engage with Blanchett's stinging portrait. The cold specificity of the setting & a slow pace may be a challenge for viewers. But once the film gets past establishing Lydia & her world in such an all-encompassing way, you feel invested in seeing where it will all lead.
Blanchett is always masterly when it comes to her performances, but here she shows even more abilities {speaking German, learned to play the piano, throws herself into her conducting}. She gives us a clinic on how to fully inhabit an individual & bring her to life without resorting to overblown affectations. Lydia Tar is complex, unrelatable, enigmatic, mesmerizing, & morally reprehensible -- a monster, really. But then writer/director Todd Field does well to give Lydia "one" redeeming quality: her love for adopted daughter, Petra (Mila Bogojevic).
I also enjoyed Allan Corduner as an asst. composer that Lydia casually & cruelly ditches; Mark Strong, an investor/amateur conductor who Lydia bashes; Noemie Merlant, the long-suffering, seemingly loyal personal asst. who has sublimated her own ambitions in order to serve Lydia's; and Nina Hoss, Lydia's devoted wife who, by the end of the film, has just about had enough. How most of these people unhealthily worship her is something to behold.
On the technical front, I commend the film's direction & moody cinematography. I also love the sound design. To that, for Lydia to cope with her many stresses, she takes pills for insomnia & paranoia {she's susceptible to being disturbed by all repetitive sounds, both musically bombastic & infinitesimal}. 'Tar' unfolds on its own terms & makes us accept that Lydia's story may not enthrall on a 'blockbuster movie' level. But it's fascinating to note that while Lydia Tar is not a real person, there is an immense intellectual & emotional honesty here that makes this film seem so much stronger than most real biopics -- great achievement.