A downfall just in time

★★★ 1/2 out of ★★★★

TÁR (2022)

Runtime: 158 minutes

MPAA: Rated R for some language and brief nudity.

TÁR is a film that requires your utmost concentration into deciphering its intent in each seemingly simple scene. Because I had walked in the first round without giving my full attention, I thought it was a jumbled, meaningless mess.

Perhaps, second time's the charm because after rewatching TÁR, I now understand the genius behind it. It is not about the life of the world-renowned composer days before the big event, but the corruption of a powerful individual who uses their power to their advantage, and how after being exposed, their career and life spirals into a disgraceful downfall. Writer/director/producer Todd Field, returning to film after a 16-year break from 2006's Little Children, also adds in so many sneaky details that might even cross the viewer's eye upon repeated viewings. 

TÁR begins with an introduction to our titular character. Lydia Tár (Cate Blanchett) is a world-renowned composer-conductor. She is the first female conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic, and apparently one of 15 EGOT's - An individual who was won the four major entertainment awards (an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and a Tony). She is also promoting her new book, Tár on Tár, and a month later, a live recording of Mahler's 5th Symphony, which was delayed because of the pandemic.

Tár also has a personal assistant, Francesca (Noémie Merlant) and is supported by her wife and concertmaster Sharon (Nina Hoss), and daughter Petra (Mila Bogojevic). After a conversation with Eliot Kaplan (Mark Strong), an investment banker and aspiring conductor, Tár proceeds to guest teach at Julliard, a prestigious music conservatory. In a brilliantly shot and unbroken take, Tár challenges a student, Max (Zethphan Smith-Gneist), who dismisses classical music artists like Bach just because he's a white, male composer. Tár ridicules Max for his identity beliefs, causing him to storm out of the class. The scene also serves as an ironic contrast to the character Tár herself.

Before I get to the contrast, an integral character that does not directly appear in the film, Krista Taylor (Sylvia Flote), hands a book titled "Challenge" to Tár (We learn that Krista Taylor was a former member of the accordion). She sees a maze pattern on the first page of the book and immediately disposes of the entire book.

A while later, Tár notices a new Russian cellist in the toilet, Olga (Sophie Kauer), whom she is instantly attracted to. The first highlight of the contrast and abuse of her power is when she notices Olga's shoes after the audition and manipulates her rating sheets to secure Olga a spot in the orchestra. After several arguments between Sharon and Francesca regarding the new orchestra member, the film silently suggests the suicide of Krista Taylor, and Tár orders all messages regarding Krista Taylor to be deleted.

The neat trick that highlights Tár's wrongdoings are also sneakily exposed here: Tár would favour young female members by tampering with ratings to get them in the orchestra, then groom them, then sexually abuse them, and when members like Krista left the "transactional" relationship, Tár would use her power to convince multiple music orchestras to not accept the aforementioned players in joining them, giving them untrue lies and incorrect assumptions.

In a series of artistic sequences that are scattered throughout the second and third act of the film, Tár is haunted by the ghost of Krista Taylor. On one occasion, she hears an increasingly obnoxious ticking sound, then sees a metronome in a cupboard with a maze pattern. On other days, during her routine jogging sessions, there would be screams, or suspicion of an unsaid presence behind her. Tár also grows increasingly sensitive to noise, hearing a repeated two-note tune in her apartment. 

At the same time, her relationship with Olga grows, and when a member, Sebastian (Allan Corduner), calls Tár out for her favouritism and notable abuse to members, Tár bends the blame to Sebastian by her own will and decides to have Sebastian replaced instead. Since Sebastian suspects that she would replace him with Francesca, Tár tries to hide up her lie by hosting auditions for new members.

In a slow and burning revelation of events, Francesca, who feels betrayed by Tár for not being in the orchestra, leaves and exposes Tár by showing the undeleted emails regarding Krista Taylor. An edited video of Tár in the Jullaird class also circulates around the internet. Despite all of this, Tár, now like a politician, either refuses to answer in a deposition or fabricates the truth even to her family members.

Even when all elements seem to go against Tár, she defiantly dispels the truths and attempts to continue the abusive cycle with Olga, though the controversy eventually impacts Tár significantly and she is fired as the conductor from the Berlin Philharmonic. Not only that, Tár's relationship with her family is severed.

TÁR reaches a pinnacle to the point where our character is already mentally broken and deranged. Blanchett pulls off a remorseless and ferocious expression throughout, and interrupts the stage in an electrifying moment. Her facial expression has also changed drastically, to empty and implying insanity.

The pivotal final minutes of the film are also perfectly constructed to highlight Tár's fall from grace and for her to realise the consequences of her actions. After her relocation to the Philippines, two truths are also revealed, regarding her actual birth name and her mentor Bernstein. A scene in a massage centre where she sees a group of women behind a glass panel causes her to run out the centre and uncontrollably vomit. It likely suggests a summary of her encounters and relationships with multiple women, and how she groomed and abused them.

Her career has also become a laughing stock. In an initially vague scene where she gets back on the podium to conduct music in front of an audience of cosplayers, we can see the look of sheer embarrassment on her face. She has now been reduced to making "video game music", a form of art so low that it serves as an insult to the EGOT, world-renowned, former conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic. Todd Field's fully-realised world is at once breathing with meticulous detail and complexity, inhibited by a lead role who is nothing short of immensely dedicated and convincing. Perhaps, we now know about the depressing plunge of oneself after their corruption and the grave consequences that follow up shortly after, even if it's ultimately a tad simple throughout.

Of course, TÁR may also be a bit long. Dialogues stretch and contain numerous musical terminology very often, there are one or two unrelated shots, and most scenes go on for a little longer than expected. But who am I to complain that this scene shall end like other movies do just because I expect it to? Shouldn't I also say that another scene where Tár conducts music shall end early to reduce the runtime to, say, under 120 minutes?

As TÁR wraps up, one might question themselves: what place are we at in this story? Are we merely the observer to witness the downfall of a figure, or do we all also fall victim to these people who ultimately retreat to unorthodox methods to their advantage? That's a question only oneself can answer, and an intriguing one Field has raised.

Update: TÁR has not won any Academy Awards.