TÁR – A Brilliant Portrait of a Tortured Genius

Todd Field may be an unfamiliar name to younger cinephiles, but at one time he was considered one of the most promising up-and-coming filmmakers of his generation. Originally an actor, Field decided to go into filmmaking after working under the tutelage of Stanley Kubrick during the production of Eyes Wide Shut. Both of Field’s directorial efforts, In the Bedroom and Little Children, received widespread acclaim and were nominated for several Oscars. After a sixteen-year hiatus, Field makes his long-awaited return with TÁR, his most ambitious and creative undertaking to date. 

For TÁR, Field enlists legendary actress Cate Blanchett to portray fictional composer Lydia Tár, who is destined to become an iconic film character. The film opens with a lengthy interview with Tár, revealing her almost ‘too good to be true’ resume, which includes becoming the first-ever female chief conductor of a major German orchestra and being a rare EGOT winner. Despite her many accomplishments, Tár is a complex figure who is charming and brilliant, but her ego has isolated her from many of her peers. As she prepares to conduct the final piece in her series of Mahler symphonies, her career and life spiral out of control as her past begins to haunt her. 

In a year jam-packed with original and challenging films, TÁR stands tall as one of the very best. Despite a prolonged absence from the film industry, Field has grown significantly as an artist and has used his time off to slowly construct his opus piece by piece. The film is a sharp, detailed and elegantly written portrait of a tortured genius living in a distinctly modern world where cancel culture looms over the industry, ready to strike those who lose sense of their morals. Through the use of clever editing and sound design, Field creates an immersive experience that places audiences in the head of Tár and asks us to embrace her at her best and her worst. It’s a layered and sTártlingly relevant character study that will challenge audiences to question how the actions and overall persona of an artist dictates the way they perceive the art they create. Field doesn’t insert his opinion, but instead allows audiences to form their own, offering more questions than answers.

Field has frequently mentioned in interviews that TÁR is a brilliant piece of filmmaking that will challenge audiences, anchored by a career-best performance from Cate Blanchett. would not have worked if Blanchett had not accepted the role, and there’s certainly some truth to that. The role of Tár is extremely demanding, and the complexity of that character is such a central part of the film that only an actress of Blanchett’s caliber would be able to pull off. Blanchett has obviously delivered incredible performances in the past, but her astonishing turn will go down as her crowning achievement. There is an iconic line in the film where Tár is giving a lecture and states “if you want to dawn this mask, dance this mask, you must sublimate yourself and your identity”. Blanchett clearly took this advice, as she disappears completely into the role, creating a character that feels authentic and multi-layered.

At the end of the day, TÁR is a brilliant piece of filmmaking that will challenge audiences and is without a doubt one of the best films of the year.

still courtesy of Focus Features

If you liked this, please read our other reviews here and don’t forget to follow us on Twitter or Instagram or like us on Facebook.

Tristan French