Lydia Tár (Cate Blanchett) is a world renowned composer and conductor born in the USA and currently working as chief conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic. Her wife Sharon (Nina Hoss) is the orchestra's first violinist and the two have a young adopted daughter. While Lydia enjoys a successful career and family life, her sordid past threatens to catch up with her.
While the movie is over two-and-a-half hours - and not an action flick - director/writer Todd Field succeeds (with great help from Blanchett) in maintaining interest in the day-to-day life of the main character. Being a fly on the wall while viewing the artistic world in cosmopolitan settings is an enjoyable romp.
"Tár" stands out among modern films for a key scene (and a later reference to it) that places a spotlight on something very relevant in our current times: the woke mindset and its offshoots of identity politics and cancel culture. In this scene, Tár is teaching students as a guest lecturer in a masterclass at Juilliard and is trying to draw out the best in student Max (Zethphan Smith-Gneist). Max has the shy awkwardness typical of someone his age. He also shows talent and potential to be a future conductor but he diffuses Tár's mentoring by dismissing great historical composers for their demographics and viewpoints. Blanchett is at her best in this scene as she tries to encourage Max to focus on artistic genius rather than identity politics. While this scene is typical of what has been happening in many schools for years now, it is rarely exposed in modern movies. Considering the success of this film, it seems to have successfully escaped cancel culture itself.
There are some flaws in the film though its high points offset the flaws. There are scenes of text messages that are difficult to read so some of the story is missed here. A meltdown scene near the end might have been over the top. And the second half refers to the main character's questionable past without showing important related scenes even in flashback. Despite the film's relatively long length, it would have been richer if such scenes were included as it seems the motives at that time were likely being repeated. But as a modern parable enhanced with modern-day cancel culture mixed with abuse of power, "Tár" is unique and praiseworthy. - dbamateurcritic.
While the movie is over two-and-a-half hours - and not an action flick - director/writer Todd Field succeeds (with great help from Blanchett) in maintaining interest in the day-to-day life of the main character. Being a fly on the wall while viewing the artistic world in cosmopolitan settings is an enjoyable romp.
"Tár" stands out among modern films for a key scene (and a later reference to it) that places a spotlight on something very relevant in our current times: the woke mindset and its offshoots of identity politics and cancel culture. In this scene, Tár is teaching students as a guest lecturer in a masterclass at Juilliard and is trying to draw out the best in student Max (Zethphan Smith-Gneist). Max has the shy awkwardness typical of someone his age. He also shows talent and potential to be a future conductor but he diffuses Tár's mentoring by dismissing great historical composers for their demographics and viewpoints. Blanchett is at her best in this scene as she tries to encourage Max to focus on artistic genius rather than identity politics. While this scene is typical of what has been happening in many schools for years now, it is rarely exposed in modern movies. Considering the success of this film, it seems to have successfully escaped cancel culture itself.
There are some flaws in the film though its high points offset the flaws. There are scenes of text messages that are difficult to read so some of the story is missed here. A meltdown scene near the end might have been over the top. And the second half refers to the main character's questionable past without showing important related scenes even in flashback. Despite the film's relatively long length, it would have been richer if such scenes were included as it seems the motives at that time were likely being repeated. But as a modern parable enhanced with modern-day cancel culture mixed with abuse of power, "Tár" is unique and praiseworthy. - dbamateurcritic.