Reviewed by Colin Jacobson (February 5, 2024)
With eight Oscar nominations as well as two wins, Cate Blanchett stands as arguably the most acclaimed actress of her generation. 2022’s Tár became the most recent of these nods.
Classical music composer-conductor Lydia Tár (Blanchett) stands at the top of her profession. She becomes the first female conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic and approaches a variety of professional challenges that include a live recording of Mahler’s Fifth Symphony.
Various forces impact her progress, though, especially when a former protégé kills herself. As different pressures escalate, Lydia finds fissures in her carefully crafted professional life.
Given its tight focus on one character, Tár seems like an odd choice for a film to run a whopping 158 minutes. That veers close to “epic” territory and might seem logical if we got a sweeping biopic for a real person.
Heck, 158 minutes could also work for a story about a fictional character if said film covered that role’s entire life. But Tár doesn’t attempt such a broad scope.
As such, I went into Tár somewhat skeptical that it needed over two and a half hours to tell its tale. This felt like a film that should’ve maxed out around half an hour shorter.
And perhaps Tár would’ve worked at two hours or so. However, I think writer/director Todd Field uses the running time well and never allows the movie to become sluggish or go off-track.
Indeed, the film’s extended length allows us to more fully invest in Lydia’s state of mind. That becomes the real drama on display here, and the manner in which Field takes his time to explore her psyche allows the tale to prosper.
For instance, Tár delves into minutiae in a manner that makes dramatic scenes more subtly part of the framework. In a shorter version, these would stand out as drama!
Here they mesh smoothly and don’t come across as obvious attempts to goose the audience. Tár develops its lead and her status in a gradual manner that ultimately benefits from the extended running time.
Tár never lectures the audience or tells us what to think as it explores the mind of a creative genius. We get a running theme of whether or not such greatness “excuses” personal flaws.
Tár doesn’t dictate an answer to us. It shows Lydia warts and all and allows us to decide for ourselves, an open-ended commodity in short supply with most modern movies.
Should would see Lydia as a cruel villain or just a blunt realist? Is she deceitful or just driven?
And how much of the negativity she encounters stems from her gender? While Tár doesn’t beat us over the head with those notions, it does imply that many of Lydia’s “transgressions” would be tolerated – and even applauded – in a man.
While we see Lydia’s ample flaws, we also witness how others victimize her, such as when an altered video takes her words and actions out of context. Even when we see her mistakes, we never feel sure if she deserves the level of shame and punishment she receives.
I like that Tár lacks easy answers, and it packs good social commentary as well. Field bites off a lot here, but with that extended running time at his disposal, he finds himself able to explore these topics in a satisfying manner.
Blanchett gives a typically strong performance as our lead. She still can’t establish a credible American accent – long a flaw in her repertoire – but she compensates in other ways.
Add a darkly humorous ending and Tár winds up as a satisfying character journey. For a number of reasons, it should sputter, but it manages to avoid those potential pitfalls.
