Movie Number 5 of 2023
The Movie: Tár
The Cinema: The Kino, Collins Street
Stars: 4.5
It's great to see something different now and then - and Tár is different. Really different. And absorbing. And strange. And thrilling. And a bit bonkers. All at once. Imdb.com provides the blurb, "Set in the international world of Western classical music, the film centers on Lydia Tár, widely considered one of the greatest living composer-conductors and the very first female director of a major German orchestra."
It sounds fairly simple. It's not. And it's earned all the Oscars hype.
The film circles around the life of Lydia Tár, a conductor at the top of her game. Lydia Tar is abrasive. A perfectionist. And she doesn't take bullshit from anybody. He long suffering assistant, Francesca (Noemie Merlant) looks like she's on the road to unravelling. Tar's about to conduct the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra in the last cycle of Mahler's symphonies. Tar, herself, is a bit of an enigma. A woman outshining the men. She's exacting and takes no prisoners. Away from the orchestra, she and her partner, Sharon (Nina Hoss) have a slightly strained relationship. As with all good movies, things get interesting when things start to unravel. Tar lives a charmed life - it is up to the audience to see where life takes her. Mark Strong has a small but impacting role. I love seeing him with hair.
This isn't a film for everybody. Haters may see this movie as a narcissist imploding. I've also seen criticisms that the first hour of this two-and-a-half-hour film is a bit on the slow side - and to an extent, I agree, but it does take off and become engrossing. I loved the last twenty minutes most of all, just for Tár's comeuppance of sorts.
As somebody who loves music, I loved looking inside the workings of the orchestra, with its politics and intrigues. It also has a bit to say about the hierarchical nature of these institutions. But I won't say more than that. You can't really describe the plot - this film demonstrates what life is like inside a privileged pressure cooker. The movie's soundscape is extraordinary.
Todd Feild's direction is flawless. The setting and cinematography are sublime. The music, which is one of the major themes, is divine.
The film also poses the questions of whether art survive without the artist, or the artist without the art? This film also has some cracking one liners and quotes. ("Unfortunately, the architect of your soul appears to be social media," being one of them.)
This is Cate Blanchett's movie. She's in pretty much every scene. She's incendiary - and has earned the Oscar buzz.
If you're into Art House films, you'll probably like this. It's not an easy film. It's not a flawless film. I'm glad I saw it, mainly because it poses more questions than answers.
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