In Todd Field’s latest film, Tár, we meet our title character at the top of her game. Lydia Tár (Cate Blanchett) is the first female chief conductor at the Berlin Philharmonic. In an early scene she is interviewed on stage and Adam Gopnik lists off her illustrious list of titles and accomplishments, including an EGOT. She has a wife and daughter, two spacious apartments and fans who talk and flirt with her after public engagements. She even teaches the occasional class at Juilliard, with her own brand of no nonsense engagement with the students.
But there is a dark side to Lydia. Her wife, the first violin in the orchestra, has helped her play politics and climb the ladder within the orchestra. And she plans to have the old man of the orchestra replaced soon. Lydia has used her influence to help aspiring female conductors, but perhaps with certain favors exchanged along the way. When a young protégé and ex-lover commits suicide, Lydia is haunted by her. Soon, Lydia’s life, world and mind start to unravel.
I will venture out on a limb and call this film a ghost story. Do I have proof of these ghosts? Only flashes of red hair and figures lurking in the background around Lydia’s apartment. Yes, go back and watch it again. I counted at least three unexplained human forms. And who else could have set that metronome off in the night? It’s the ghost of Krista, and it took me two watches to find her and I’ll admit it scared the hell out of me the first time I noticed her sitting in that chair in Lydia’s bedroom in the middle of the night.
One theme I noticed and love is how Lydia is constantly distracted by sounds. A knock at the door, a pen clicking, heels clacking, a siren, even a subtle vibration of the car vent. Sometimes they simply distract her from the situation at hand or they even wake her up in the night. We could chalk it up to her astute musicality and acute hearing but I also think it shows the weight of her guilty conscience. Especially that screaming in the park.
Cate Blanchett leads this film like a force of nature. At first we see her Lydia as an accomplished, strong and intelligent woman who presides over her orchestra and the world she has created. During this time we may envy or look up to this Lydia. But as the story unfolds, so does Lydia’s character. We see a cold, calculating woman, selfishly using others as needed and able to toss them away easily. The way she can look at Olga, as if she were a wolf ready to devour her, is so calculated and restrained yet yearning. And towards the end, watching her throw her world into further chaos is beautiful and hypnotic. I could watch Cate Blanchett stand backstage and then tackle her replacement over and over again. Her control and then unhinged rage is absolutely perfect. I think it could sway the Academy into giving her a shiny new Oscar.
Tár is also nominated for six Academy Awards including Best Picture. Other nominations include original screenplay, cinematography and film editing. Cate Blanchette is nominated for best lead actress, her fifth nomination in the category, her eighth acting nomination overall. And Todd Field is nominated for best director, his first nomination in the category.
There is a lot to unpack in this film and honestly, it gets better and better each time I watch it. With my first watch, I considered it your basic artsy character study, taut, smart and intense. But something about Tár gnawed at me, so I watched it again, studied how the character unravels herself and discovered the hidden ghosts. I’m now convinced poor Krista was haunting Lydia, driving her mad and leading her to her ultimate downfall.
“You must in fact stand in front of the public and God and obliterate yourself.”
The Best Picture Project 