Tár Review: A nuanced take on cancel culture
Rosemarie O Byrne (Film and TV Editor)
Atmospheric, gripping and thought provoking, Tár asks questions most are too afraid to ask. The film is categorised as a psychological drama but it contains many elements that make it feel more like a thriller. Cate Blanchett plays Lydia, a powerful and successful music conductor who appears to have a chequered past that she can not escape. Written and directed by Todd Field, the movie does an excellent job of transporting its viewer into the world of a genius, and how high of a fall there is when the past catches up. Blanchett states that the film respects its audience enough to ask them big questions, which I found especially true as the film did not rush to offer neat answers. One of the movie’s main selling points is its unique take on the theme of ‘cancel culture’. The cancellation of a person is a controversial take on dealing with the problematic behaviours of someone in the limelight. Tár flips the traditional narrative by swapping out gender roles and turning them on their head. The debate of whether to separate the art from the artist is an undercurrent theme and the film really challenges its audience to think further than the boundaries of the film and the end credits.
Todd Field who wrote the film had Cate Blanchett in mind for the lead part of Lydia from the beginning, and it becomes largely apparent when you witness how much her dominant body language and powerhouse acting is made for this role. The film uses a real orchestra called the Dresden Orchestra and scenes in which the orchestra plays are completely genuine. Blanchett continues to impress by actually conducting the Dresden Orchestra, which lends to her authenticity here. She re-learned how to play the piano so in the eerie moments where she puts haunting sounds to music, it is in fact her really playing. She speaks German in the film which she learned specifically for the role along with learning how to conduct an orchestra.
The movie plays with the idea of an all powerful, successful creative who is at the top of their game and in the peak of their career, but there is a threat that it could crumble at any moment due to the haunting nature of her past. Blanchett does an incredible job of portraying this role, and is, in my perception of the character, an unnervingly convincing evil villain. Though her past is interrogated and there is a lot of heavy hinting that Lydia is someone capable of doing whatever it was she had been accused of, it is never explicitly known whether she was guilty, thus leaving the audience with more depth to our arguments. Some argue that the conclusion of her story was too much, while others argue it was not enough. Something I really enjoyed about the film was the constant parallels drawn between music/musicians and the main storyline. At different points Lydia refers to those considered the greatest of all time in the world of music and contends that their genius lies in their nuance and willingness to accept the uncertainty, like the ambiguity which is illustrated in Lydia’s past. Another of her conversations discusses a musical genius who threw a woman down the stairs, but wonders whether his private life should interfere with his work at all. Bach is described as a misogynist but should that stop people from enjoying ‘The Well-Tempered Clavier’?
There is a great sense of threat and Blanchett masterfully encapsulates all that it means to be corrupted with power. Her performance is unexpectedly disturbing to the mind, and she illustrates the notion that Lydia is conducting not only in her career, but in her daily life where she is in full control of everything, until she isn’t. Another cause for debate comes from the female lead being the dominant and surprisingly, quite misogynistic character, as it is questioned whether her role is an empowered one or problematic and flawed. Lydia is a lesbian, which adds an additional layer of nuance to this debate. So often women are not seen as capable of fully harming another being due to the assumption that femininity is softness and inherently weak. With Lydia being a lesbian and only engaging in romantic relations with other women, her role as a potential predator is one that is typically erased from the narrative, as female same sex partnerships are often dismissed and disregarded by society as they are not heteronormative. The sense of threat is heightened by sounds and music as Lydia is forced awake to seemingly random noises in the night, which haunt her and prevent her from rest. The role of sound is an important one and we see Lydia’s character as someone who is particularly sensitive to noise, much like the other musical geniuses of their time. The dialogue in the movie is melodic and Lydia’s use of language in particular is almost Shakespearan sounding, amplifying the sentiment that this is a music based film. The concept of time is toyed with in relation to music and cancel culture. It is explained that in her role as conductor, when Lydia lifts one of her hands and pinches her fingers together, it is understood that within the scope of the orchestra, time stops, even just for a beat or two. We are encouraged to think about time and the boundary between past and present.
The movie is visually very appealing and Lydia’s surroundings are representative of her inner state. She lives a luxurious life of order with a monochromatic themed house and works in a fantastically elaborate lecture theatre where she conducts and sometimes gives lectures. Not only is the movie deliberately provocative and thrilling, but it is aesthetically satisfying and visually pleasing to look at.
Tár is unexpected, unique and will leave you thinking about it for days after you have finished watching it. Major questions such as the correctness of seperating the art from the artist and whether cancel culture an appropriate measure of punishment are asked and the film inspires conversations and debate with others but also internally, encouraging you to point the questions inward and challenge your own values. Only Cate Blanchett could have performed this role with such conviction and her intensity was hypnotic. Her acting was emotionally charged while remaining even toned and controlled at all times. She delivers the complicated lines and Shakespearan-like language in a way that makes it feel simplistic but impactful. The film also explores art, genius, and the fallacy within those concepts. It is clear that while someone may be a genius, they can also be flawed and full of mistakes.
In all, it is incontestable that Tár is a spectacular watch. Todd Field’s direction is impeccable and there is such a tense and dark atmosphere built up from the beginning. Though the run time of 2h37m borders on being too long, the slow pacing is brilliant, and in fact necessary for the overall effect. I do believe, however, that you must power through the beginning to understand why the lengthy scenes are necessary, for otherwise you will be questioning why they couldn’t have edited down Lydia’s self-important monologues that showcase her arrogance and knowledge in the beginning. The movie cleverly edges on the line of whether the protagonist is an icon for making it in the field as a lesbian woman and commanding the stage at all times, or whether she was a predator who abused her power and is deserving of cancellation due to the past that haunts her. Was she capable of change or was she a genius stuck in their ways and prone to bad behaviour in their personal life? If it is an Oscar runner you seek, then Tár is your film in my opinion. Blanchett’s performance is exciting enough to watch the film for alone, and from my perspective of seeing her as a villain, it was fascinating to see how the makeup effects aided in making her look more and more evil as the film progressed. That’s not to say there wasn’t softness to her character too, so it is great to see a complex female character well executed. This movie has not left my mind since I watched it and I have been dreaming of orchestras for several days now. The film is a new release which came out on the 13th of January and it begs to be seen on a big screen.
