Here’s another flick that caught my eye recently—coming from director Todd Field is a film that shines a light on that topic that has become ever more pertinent in recent years. Namely, that of the abuse of power, and just how those that seem to get away with it do so in the first place. Against the backdrop of conductors and concertos, it’s Tár.
Cate Blanchett plays the titular conductor, and in this film really gets to shine with her versatility—immediately, we get to see the charisma, wit, and intelligence her character has to show off. The early stages of the film are a bit of a slow burn at first, but they importantly show just how she’s able to take command in a room, while having the genuine talent and knowledge to back up her ego. And, with that in mind, as we gradually see the dark side of her and how deep that goes, it makes all of that ring ever so differently.
Amid discussion of Bach and Beethoven, and her evidently very sincere and not invalid feelings on the relevance of the great composers, Tár herself is probably going to enthral the viewer just by sheer presence. That, I think, is the crucial part here, which Blanchett does very well—of course Tár is used to getting her own way when she can awe folks like that. Of course, it becomes clear, she can assume instant command of an orchestra with her vision and her energy.
And that in turn leads to the entitlement we see, the things she takes for granted—and all of that builds into the patterns that, as we find out, are actually kind of sickening. It’s a good an illustration of any of how abusers in high position can through leverage themselves into the things they do in the first place, and why those around them might feel reluctant to do more than mumble about it.
As the film goes on we get a faster pace and some surreal dream elements—if there’s one complaint I have, it’s that the film just sort of stops in the last act, with just an implication that Tár might’ve learned something from a brief scene, but not that much more than that.
There’s lots of little details and moments throughout that I liked, and while we do have strong secondary parts from folks like Nina Hoss and Mark Strong, Blanchett, appropriately enough, dominates the whole thing even as things spiral out of control for her character. It is somewhat of a long film but in this case the length felt justified, and I admit I never really felt it until again that final segment of the film. I definitely feel it’s worth checking out for a variety of reasons—between the storm and drang of classical performances, there’s the quieter moments that have just as much impact. And, of course, the ultimate message is one that speaks as loudly as it ever did…
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