Tár

 

From the get go Tár wrong foots you by having the majority of the credits in a long opening reel. The rest of film follows suit , by setting the scene by having the leading “Maestro” conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic, Lydia Tár ( Cate Blanchett) in a verbose, over long winded and verbose  tvtype interview  about the ins and outs of being a conductor. 

Tár is passionate, obsessive, compulsive and full of her own self belief. She is an autocrat and a smiling bully who lives her life between  wife and daughter in a concrete minimalist house and her old less ordered apartment where it is hinted she shares a double life.

She is also an insomniac, neurotic pill taker and potential predator lesbian , with multiple skeletons in her closet where junior conductors and orchestra members are concerned. 

This is where the film becomes suddenly interesting 

For as her past comes in to haunt her, she is plagued by paranoia, creepy encounters and visits to her child home.

It’s all becomes rather surreal and cleverly Blanchett keeps you watching, even though her character is intense, fascinating and totally unlikable .

An interesting, rather bleak movie 

Ps I will leave you with lovely reply by Jamie Lee Curtis to a well intentioned Oscar question 

Pps.

I must say a big thank you for your comments about Albert.

I’ve been incredibly moved by so many comments about a bad tempered , old Tom , who won’t even sit on my knee for a cuddle.

He has moved so many by being himself for fifteen years here on Going Gently

But let’s not be under any illusions here…he’s an old boy