Tar (2022)
Directed by Todd Field
Written by Todd Field
Starring Cate Blanchett, Nina Hoss, Noemie Merlant, Mark Strong
Release Date October 7th, 2022
Published October 31st, 2022
In Theaters Now...
What is writer-director Todd Field trying to say in his new movie, Tar? There are a myriad of readings currently being debated online and each seems to have some merit. There is, in the end, no right answer. If we separate the art from the artist, then what Todd Field is trying to say doesn't matter as much as how we interpret what he is saying. My interpretation of Tar is a mixed bag of evocative and provocative ideas and low humor that only occasionally lands.
Tar stars Cate Blanchett as Lydia Tar, a famed conductor. Lydia is about to achieve a lifelong dream, to have conducted recordings of the work of Conductor Gustav Mahler. Sitting at the head of the table at the Berlin Orchestra, Lydia believes that conducting Mahler's 5th Symphony will cement a legacy built over a life time crawl to the top in merciless pursuit of the comforts and adoration of fame. Lydia Tar has cut metaphorical throats to get where she is and yet she doesn't realize how tenuous her grasp on power truly is.
In this article I am going to wander around within several ideas and presentations in Tar that struck me after watching it. I will be employing spoilers and since I am recommending that you see Tar, if you haven't seen it yet, I urge you to jump off and come back after you see it. Tar is not so much a movie that can be 'spoiled' in the traditional sense but I do believe the experience of Tar is one better served by not knowing where the story is going.
Lydia Tar is a conductor of an orchestra, specifically, the prestigious Berlin Philharmonic. The role of Conductor is an interesting one, rich with meaning and teeming with questions. What exactly is the function of a conductor? Why is a conductor necessary? Why do conductors get so much credit for directing the performance of people doing the actual, physical work of the orchestra? Tar is not direct about answering these questions though they are explored a little when we see Lydia in her work environment.
The conductor of an orchestra brings order to chaos. It's a fantasy of power with a group of exceptionally talented people at the top of their field all at the mercy and direction of a wand wielding egotist. The musician may have the talent to make transcendent music from their instrument but no matter their talent, they are at the mercy and whim of someone not playing an instrument. Naturally, Lydia Tarr conducts her life as she conducts her orchestra, furiously exerting control, rigidly demanding conformity to her will. This, of course, is her downfall.
The things that Lydia Tarr cannot control or conduct to her will, she ignores. Out of sight, out of mind is the substance of her worldview, especially when it comes to the discordant troubles in her life. One such trouble is a former student with whom Lydia may or may not have had an affair with. Lydia abruptly cut ties with the student and in doing so, harmed the woman's career and education. The former student is spiraling into depression according to glimpses of emails to Lydia's assistant, played by Noemie Merlant.
Lydia cannot control this situation so she ignores it until a tragedy occurs. Even then, Lydia is unrepentant, and continues to avoid the problem, a privilege often conferred upon the powerful, the ability to turn their back on their problems via their privilege. A theme presented throughout Tar is Lydia's growing sensitivity to noise. The clicking pen of her orchestra colleague, a metronome left ticking in a cupboard, and other such seemingly insignificant noises become a torture to Lydia's psyche.
Click here for my full length article at Geeks.Media
