At 158 minutes, Tár, in theaters Friday, begins from an adversarial place, as if challenging the audience to endure it. The film ultimately rewards its audience, but makes them work for it.
Lydia Tár (
The first bold move writer-director
The film then shows Tár at a Q&A answering questions, which is a big case of telling instead of showing. Sure, she speaks articulately and evocatively, but wouldn't it be more effective to see her apply those principles in her music?
Things get more interesting at the Juilliard class in which Tár challenges student
The Juilliard scene also unfolds largely in a single take that moves from the front to the back of the class.
Tár has an assistant, Francesca (Noemie Merlant), who is more emotional about the business than Tár, but seems to understand her boss's needs. Tár can also play with her daughter, Petra (
Tár uses big words like misogamy and technical music terms as much to keep others at a distance as to articulate her thoughts. Comparing the process of composing to vulgar bowel movements almost makes her more pretentious than those
We do see Tár fine-tune her orchestra. She's not as extreme as the conductor from Whiplash, but she is specific and demanding.
Tár eventually shows a bit of Tár's composition process. She noodles on the piano, so the audience gets to hear a song come together in real time.
Early in the film, Francesca brings news of the death of
The precise bubble Tár constructed for herself unravels, and Blanchett has a field day portraying that unraveling.
Tár is a slow burn setting up all of those elements. When they finally do spiral out of control, it is satisfying to see Blanchett tackle those circumstances.
Nevertheless, Tár does not quite earn its length. Losing 20 minutes would tighten it up and make Blanchett's spiral more effective.
The sound design contributes to Tár's environment, too --.not only the orchestral music, but environmental sounds shock the audience in and out of Tár's world.
Tár ranks with Blue Jasmine and Elizabeth among Blanchett's most intense performances. If the unwieldy presentation and opening section of the film seems daunting, rest assured that is intentional and part of the process of getting to the depth of Blanchett's work.
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