Tag: tár

directed by Todd Field

I had no idea that I’d end up writing such post about this film, but here we go… Perhaps you’ve noticed already that I didn’t rate it well and because of this low rating the film is in my official “not-necessarily-to-watch” category, but I have to point out one very important reason to actually see this production. First, let me introduce you to the story and my inner pain I felt watching it. The film is a tribute to Lydia Tár (Cate Blanchett), the first female chief conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic. She’s a true professional who intimidates many with her confidence and huge knowledge on the topic of music. We can see that Lydia is slightly anti-social and has her own way of perceiving everything around her, which is even more interesting in the moments where she has to interact with different people and actually experience a diverse range of emotions, some of which she’s not that capable of. When it comes to the plot – it’s time to start complaining. I didn’t find the story anyhow fascinating, even though the character of Lydia indeed caught my attention. A way too long interview, then some strange course at the music school, then some drama with her assistant, then another drama with her new cello player… but okay, you may say I’m complaining at something that perhaps couldn’t be changed. After all, they’re telling the story of Lydia Tár and perhaps that’s what her life looked like. Yeah… here comes a surprise. As much as the film was difficult for me to stand, I was absolutely amazed by Cate Blanchett for her performance. So much that I wanted to compare her Lydia with the real Lydia, so I started searching for some video materials with the real conductor. Turns out, my dear readers, that Lydia Tár never existed. This story is all made-up. And in this situation, I cannot explain the writer, I’m very sorry. In my opinion, this screenplay is far from being perfect. There are plenty of moments which, as some may say, “could have been an e-mail”. Many critics praised the cinematography and I cannot really say whether I enjoyed it or not because it was all ruined by the editing. Some years ago I had a huge WTF moment when the Academy nominated “Bohemian Rhapsody” for the best editing and seems like this year “Tár” is taking its place. There were many long scenes where not much was happening in terms of actual action or movement, yet for example Cate was expressing lots of emotions with her body or way of speaking – and at those moment the editing should have been more diverse, with more shots from different angles, more zoom-ins, more dynamics – this way, it would support the creation of Lydia. Cate did a marvellous job, but with a bit of help from the camerawork and editing, her scenes would be leaving us speechless. So quoting some people’s reviews I’ve seen – “what is this film for?” – I have no idea either. It doesn’t tell a real story, it doesn’t show the character of Lydia as anyone to look up to (according to me and quite many female reviewers, except the fact that the character herself in definitely in the spotlight), it’s not engaging, it didn’t leave me with much food for thought – just general disappointment about the film and huge admiration for Cate. So even though I wouldn’t watch this production again, I’m recommending you to see Cate’s performance as I believe she should have been awarded for it. Thank you for your exceptional acting work. And for taking that guy’s pen (those who watched the film carefully know what I’m talking about).

My rating: 4/10
S.