Tár
2022
***
Director: Todd Field
Cast: Cate Blanchett, Noémie Merlant, Nina Hoss, Sophie Kauer, Julian Glover, Allan Corduner, Mark Strong, Zethphan Smith-Gneist
Lydia Tár is a world-renowned conductor and composer. As she prepares to promote her autobiography and lead the recording of Mahler's Fifth Symphony in Berlin, she faces accusations of misconduct. Todd Field's subtle psychological drama starts with two important but overlong scenes. Lydia gives a long interview about her life and career, and then holds a confrontational lecture at Juilliard about separating art from the artist. These scenes and the first half in general spends an inordinate amount of time on snobbish academic discussions about classical music. The superior second half gets more personal, as it delves into Lydia's narcissism, vanity, and abuse of power. It goes without saying that Cate Blanchett is excellent through it all.
