Film Pick of the Week: Tár - review by Yvette Huddleston

Blanchett plays Lydia Tár, a phenomenally gifted and widely admired maestro who is an established star in the classical music world. She is the chief conductor of a major German orchestra based in Berlin where she lives with her wife Sharon Goodnow (Nina Hoss), the orchestra’s principal first violin and leader, and their young daughter. Tár moves in rarefied circles, travelling extensively to guest conduct, attending glamorous events, sharing her expertise with student conductors and is in demand all over the world.

In the long opening sequence, she is being interviewed on stage at the New Yorker Festival about her recently published memoir Tár on Tár and her forthcoming live recording of Mahler’s Fifth Symphony. She is considered to be an expert interpreter of the work of Mahler, a composer with whom she feels a great affinity. She speaks in a very engaging and erudite manner about her craft and what music means to her. She is clearly passionate about what she does and seemingly sincere in wishing to help others to succeed.

One of Tár’s projects is running a mentoring scholarship program that she established in order to encourage more women to become conductors. Her loyal assistant Francesca Lentini (Noemie Merlant) is one such aspiring conductor and early on there is a hint that Tár is manipulating the young woman both emotionally and professionally. There is mention of a former mentee who has developed an obsession with Tár and is sending her increasingly bizarre messages and gifts. There is an implication, though nothing explicit, that Tár has behaved inappropriately. Then as Tár becomes enthralled by young Russian cellist Olga Metkina (Sophie Kauer) events begin to take a very dark turn and Tár’s perfectly managed, privileged life starts to unravel.

Field’s accomplished script is an intelligent, complex and layered meditation on the abuse of power, how arrogance and lack of humility can lead to a downfall, the perils of believing that the public’s affection is unwavering and that high social status somehow puts you above the law. Blanchett is absolutely mesmerising; her portrayal of a woman teetering on the edge of an abyss is viscerally powerful and completely believable. She is a commanding yet vulnerable presence at the heart of the film – and the music is magnificent.