TÁR

By Jonah Naplan

October 16, 2022

Todd Field’s thought provoking “TÁR” is a film of such gentle beauty that sometimes it’s euphoric. Especially in its unique use of silence. And it’s ironic because “TÁR” is all about noise. Particularly how it can be used as an art form. Maestro Lydia Tár is the center of this epic film, and is a master of helming sound with her hands. She’s the influential female conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic, and clearly has a knack for music from the very first scene, as she sits in an onstage interview in a concert hall with Adam Gopnik, as he lists her many achievements, making sure that he doesn’t leave out that Tár is one of only seventeen EGOTs. This interview is the first dialogue-heavy scene in “TÁR,” and it isn’t the last.

“TÁR” has a VERY niche audience. To entirely comprehend and understand all of the film’s details, inside jokes, references, and name drops, it suggests that the viewer should definitely be in the music industry, and the classical/orchestral branch at that. That’s not to say that “TÁR” is one big risk of a film. It wasn’t released into theaters with the filmmakers hoping for broad audiences to see it. They knew, from day one of shooting, that their movie would attract a very specific group of people. And attract it did. Because classical music enthusiasts around the world are going crazy over this film. For one, it’s a great movie. And two, even if it wasn’t, no film in history has gone this in depth into the world of an orchestra and a conductor’s relationship to it.

The trailers for “TÁR” are misleading. It’s difficult to tell what the movie is about. Clearly there’s music involved. There’s a female protagonist who’s a conductor. But is it really all about music? No. “TÁR” is, on a fundamental level, a character piece centered around a woman who almost seems like she has a troubled past, and equally as quarrelsome problems now. Lydia keeps waking up to strange unnerving noises in the night, and during the day, she constantly hears the same two notes in her head, over and over and over again. The two notes often sound like they’re coming from a distance away, and are almost Ring doorbell sounding. Do these noises make her agitated? More arrogant, maybe?

Whatever these noises do, they’re not benefitting Lydia. Not boosting her creative streak. They’re distracting her from accomplishing everyday tasks, and her biggest one at hand is preparing for the conclusion of a cycle of Gustav Mahler symphony recordings. In the music world, Tár is an inspiration. In one of the first scenes, Lydia is seen at a Julliard seminar, and drills a young violinist into the ground when he says that he doesn’t much care about resonating with Johann Sebastian Bach, because the composer’s untimely lifestyle doesn’t match with his identity as a queer BIPOC.

And much of “TÁR” is about contrast like that. Particularly as we watch the rise (and fall) of a composer on the verge of being unwilling to change. Tár starts off at the top of the world, in a position so prestigious for a woman that the character of Lydia Tár had to be fictional. Although “TÁR” isn’t based on true events, it couldn’t have been even if the filmmakers desired. Because no one in history has accomplished what Lydia has. So as we watch her decline and descend into the lower ranks in the third act, it becomes clear that Tár is your average hot shot that finds their downfall when new answers begin to arise. But this time, the protagonist is a female conductor played by the mesmerizing Cate Blanchett.

Blanchett is terrific in the movie and should be considered for Best Actress in this year’s Oscar race. Her character is determined, smart, and willing to travel great distances to achieve her goals. The ego of a conductor is a big one. They’re the leader of a massive orchestra that “controls” the audience’s attention for however long the symphony lasts. Tár is so caught up in her fame that she sacrifices the love for her wife Sharon (Nina Hoss) and her daughter for her career. And it ends up not being worth it. Blanchett plays her character with a certain gracefulness too, gentle yet intimidating. Motherlike to her daughter, Petra, but commanding to her orchestra and to her conductor’s assistant that she plans to replace.

Tár is passionate about her craft but we know she has a subtle uneasiness when it comes to how it will all end up. “TÁR” is beautiful in how it portrays this idea, but it doesn’t come without its reservations. We don’t ever see Tár scream and cry and have a “Oscar reel meltdown,” rather her meltdowns are all internal—all battles inside of her head. “TÁR” messes with the mind and takes you inside Lydia’s mental perplexity, giving answers to some questions, but leaving many open-ended.

Tár’s assistant Francesca (Noémie Merlant) is a persona that could best be described as a servant. And their relationship is dicey. Tár and Francesca get caught up into a scandal that involves a young composer named Krista who committed suicide. And her character is one of the movie’s many mysteries. You’d think that a film about a conductor of an orchestra wouldn’t be this suspenseful. But “TÁR” isn’t that same kind of average movie. It plays mind games with the viewer and gets them involved into the world of music performance and the privilege that certain highly ranked members possess.

Even other esteemed composers look up to Tár. Notice the clear jealousy that Elliot Kaplan (Mark Strong) shows when he dines with Lydia. But I especially enjoyed a scene with Tár introducing herself to Olga (Sophie Kauer), the newest cellist for the Berlin Philharmonic. Olga almost entirely disregards Tár’s achievements, and ends up getting her own solo in the symphony. More contrast.

So I return to the question I asked earlier. Is “TÁR” really all about music? It’s a long movie, with plenty of time for whole symphony pieces to be played, but there’s only so much music that can be used towards its runtime. “TÁR” uses the rest of its time onscreen to decipher what this fascinating character actually perceives as reality, and what’s inside her head. Is any of “TÁR” real? There are unanswered questions, and mysterious sounds and occurrences that remain unresolved. Is that the desire of “TÁR?” To remain imperfect? Or is there something I’m missing here—some major detail that hasn’t even begun to scratch the surface in my mind. Questions, questions, questions. I could say that sentence melodically. And Lydia Tár would almost certainly criticize my pitch.

Now playing in select theaters.