Tár movie review: Cate Blanchett’s performance delivers on all notes

Renowned musician Lydia Tár is one of few who have the prestige of calling herself an EGOT winner. A brand new film from Todd Fields has highlighted her career in Tár. Is it worth checking out? Let’s dive in.

Tár follows Lydia Tár, who is days away from recording the symphony that will change her career. However, as things start to collapse around her, she relies on someone dear to her heart to be her emotional support. The movie was written and directed by Todd Fields and stars Cate Blanchett as the lead.

The film begins with Lydia on the stage having an open conversation at a Q&A with The New Yorker‘s Adam Gopnik. It’s an intriguing back-and-forth conversation between these two, but I found more astonishing about this sequence was how Fields showed Lydia’s strong yet stern dialect. It highlighted early on the type of personality we were set to meet and go on this journey for the next two and a half hours. It’s one of the year’s best openings.

Cate Blanchett delivers in Tár

One of the more fascinating things about the story was the character study of we can appreciate someone’s art while they might not be a good person at the same time. For example, Lydia is one of a kind person that was an expert in her craft, but she was also someone that was deeply troubled and not very good to those around her. Are we supposed to like Lydia? I’m not sure I can answer that, but we must appreciate the talent and art that she brought to this world.

Another aspect of the film I think writer/director Fields gets right is highlighting someone having the drive to want something. You watch Lydia willing to sacrifice everything to become the world’s greatest Maestro. It’s a somewhat lost thing in society that most people have come to expect stuff without putting in the effort or work to get it.

Now, I don’t think we should all go about the same way she did, I am not commending that, but her drive is something you have to respect. I found it beautiful how they showed these struggles, whether they were internal or external.

It’s been 16 years since Fields last sat in the director’s chair, and he didn’t miss a beat. The way he shot these sequences is extraordinary because he perfectly puts us in the chair next to each of these musicians while Lydia directs us and makes us feel what she’s feeling throughout this film. I felt every sound, beat, and emotion because of what he and Blanchett were able to deliver. It’s also, hands down, the best script of 2022.

Speaking of Blanchett, what can I say that hasn’t already been said about this woman’s storied career in front of the camera? Her ability to command the screen is second-to-none. There are several FIERCE sequences in which she rips your heart in two with her passion for what she’s doing in this role. I not only got the hype but understand why she is the front-runner for the Oscar.

I would be crazy not to mention that Nina Boss should get much love for her supporting work in this film. She has some incredible back-and-forth banter with Blanchett that is strong enough that she should be in the Best Supporting Actress conversation.

Overall, Tár is hands down one of the year’s best films that boast perfectly timed direction, a character study we’ve never seen before, and a performance we will talk about for generations to come. That said, it is a handful as far as runtime, but I promise it is worth every moment.

Tár is in theaters now.