Photo Courtesy of NBC News
Cinematography: 10/10
Costumes: 9/10
Sets: 8.5/10
Acting: 10/10
Special Effects: n/a
Character Development: 9/10
“Tár”, stars Cate Blanchet in a psychological drama about a fictionally renowned female composer, Lydia Tár. Written by Todd Field, this film encaptures Tár as she navigates internal struggles days away from conducting a symphony that could elevate her career. The film received an impressive 91% on Rotten Tomatoes, and is rated R for brief nudity and language.
“The number one thing about Tár is the performance,” said film teacher Larry Buskey, “what [Blanchet] had to learn was incredible-she had to learn how to play the piano, become a conductor and learn a couple of different languages.” In addition to the acting, the cinematographic choices were very purposeful. Examples include the monotone color palettes within the set and costume designs, framing, and the uses of juxtaposition. The attention to detail created by camera angles also plays a role in the subjects of each scene. Shooting Tár from a lower angle while she conducts illustrates the power she holds in front of an orchestra. However, in scenes where Tár begins to lose sight of herself, a higher up angle is employed to make her seem smaller and less confident in relation to other characters.”
Although the film demonstrates many important and impressive artistic choices, there are also aspects of the film we believe could have been improved. Writing from the perspective of two sophomores, we believe that the film does not appeal to all audiences as it targets groups who enjoy the specifics of music and composing. In addition, the initial pace of the film is slow, and it has a longer run time, about two and a half hours. Mr. Buskey commented that he had “a problem with the movie because it felt like it was going in one direction and then in the end, it goes in a completely different direction- in a genre kind of way.”
Towards the end of the film, however, the plot began to increase in pace. The scenes became less analytical and slow and more action packed. Instead of the neat, monatomic character we knew as Lydia Tár in the beginning, she is now a disheveled shadow of her former self on the verge of going chronically insane. Tár self-destructs as the life she envisioned goes downhill, in turn destroying her relationship with her wife, daughter, friends, and family. However, some story lines and scenes do not come full circle, and the audience is left confused on how they tie back into the main plot of Tár. We think that this movie will not win Best Picture due to the inconsistency of the story line, however, we believe that Cate Blanchet has a high chance of winning Best Female Actress.
The film poses the overall question, is Lydia Tár the victim or the bully?
