Todd Field’s first film for 16 years, TÁR, has arrived with nearly universal fawning reviews, especially for Cate Blanchett’s performance as Lydia Tár, a renowned composer and conductor of the prestigious Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra. As Lydia completes her memoir, whilst also preparing to perform a live recording of Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 5, she seems to be completely in control of her life. But the suicide of an ex-student musician and the arrival of a beautiful new cellist cause her life to crumble.
It is easy to see why Blanchett is joint favourite for a Best Actress Oscar as it is a towering performance, totally inhabiting Lydia. I did not doubt for one second that she was the esteemed composer. The rest of the film is a harder sell. At two and a half hours long, with a number of drawn out talky scenes, it will not be for everyone. But despite having little interest in classical music, I was almost totally entranced. The three opening scenes of Lydia being interviewed for New Yorker magazine, having lunch with investor and fellow composer Elliot Kaplan, a brilliant Mark Strong, and taking a class at The Juilliard School will probably not be bettered this year.
Whilst the rest of the film does not quite live up to that opening, it still kept me gripped thanks to Blanchett. There are some particularly good scenes with her mentor, played by the superb Julian Glover. Also Field’s script is really multi-layered, with examinations on separating the art from the artist, touching on cancel culture, and introducing horror-tinged elements as Lydia starts to hear strange noises whilst her carefully constructed life falls apart.
There is also room for a jokey ending, though admittedly my cultural references did not extend to me fully understanding it without the help of Google.
Rating: 9 out of 10