Tár (Todd Field, 2022) wr. Todd Field; Cate Blanchett
Definitely should win Best Actress award for Blanchett at every competition in which it's entered. ... Unfortunately, there has to be a plot – so that the critics can write about the film's 'relevance' – particularly the PC moral guardians.
Wendy Ide:
Field (Oscar nominated for his two previous films, Little Children and In the Bedroom) brings a slippery complexity to proceedings. Is Tár the slow-motion car crash of a cancellation? The crash and burn of hubristic ambition? A supernatural thriller? A Shakespearean tragedy about a powerful individual driven to the brink of madness by the niggling attrition of guilt? There’s also a mean-spirited crackle of humour here and there.
It’s a phenomenal picture, supported by top-tier crew, from Bina Daigeler’s costumes (Tár’s tailored suits are a kind of intellectual armour) to Florian Hoffmeister’s lithe camerawork, which captures symphonies of discomfort in the musicians, starting in the string section with a stricken, shamed Sharon, and answered by a flutter of uncertainty that spreads through the orchestra like a scurrilous rumour. The Guardian.
Peter Bradshaw:
I am not sure that all the film’s disparate and intriguing tics and hints and feints all come satisfactorily together, but what a colossal performance from Cate Blanchett. The Guardian.
Kent M. Wilhelm:
Field gives us a view into the fall of a grand figure who abuses their position at the top of a codified power structure but also puts the “separating the art from the artist” argument front and center. Should celebrated and cherished works of art lose regard because of their problematic authors? Field appears to believe art and appreciation should transcend the ego and be appreciated for the genius it offers. It’s a timely argument for which our culture doesn’t have a solid answer.
We’re now in a place where our culture has begun to look back on the #metoo era to scrutinize its successes, faults, and legacy. For instance, She Said, a film about the New York Times’s work on Harvey Weinstein’s crimes will be released later this year. Tár is an exceptional post-#metoo document that portrays the movement’s consequences but also the complex ethical conundrums surfaced in its wake. Tilt.
Kevin Maher:
There is a lot to digest here, but Field, as he proved in In the Bedroom, is a master of sure-footed pacing (not fast or propulsive, just appropriate to the scene). There are enormous early sections of the film that unfold in slow, unfussy real time, such as the long and obsequious interview that Tár grants to the New Yorker Festival, hosted by the real-life New Yorker writer Adam Gopnik (playing himself). The Times.
Wikipedia page for this film.
IMDb page for this film.
Sucharitkul, Somtow 2023, 'That Last Scene in ‘Tár’ Doesn’t Mean What You Think It Means', The Hollywood Reporter, 10 March.
Peter Tregear, 'Tár isn’t just about gender, sexuality and power – it is also a story of class in the elite world of classical music'. The Conversation, 30 January 2023.
Garry Gillard | New: 26 December, 2022 | Now: 12 March, 2023