Don't be so eager to be offended

Continuing my trip up Empire's top 20 films of 2023

#6 :  Tár

Time, is the thing. And even though Tár was released in the UK all the way back in January, its impact lingers on. Cate Blanchett gives an all-time best performance as Lydia Tár, a conducting maestro on the cusp of the biggest recording of her career — but it all falls apart when her past indiscretions and controversial teaching techniques catch up with her. Forcing you to sit in the glorious, uncomfortable nuances of themes like gender politics, power dynamics and cancel culture, Todd Field’s epic character study is brimming with stuff to make you think, as well as plenty to make you feel — seeing Lydia’s mastery of her conducting craft is a thing to behold. Come for the long takes and impeccable writing, stay for the standout movie song of the year: ‘Apartment For Sale’.

I've heard this is great with an excellent central performance, but I feel it's unlikely I'd have watched it under normal circumstances - I get the impression it's just going to be a bit too psychologically tense for me. But I could be completely wrong, so let's see.

Well, that's not a great sign - the film starts with the closing credits so I really fear it's going to try to mess with my mind. This means it's five minutes before anything happens and then we're pretty much straight into an interview segment which runs for ten minutes - it's not done as a single take, but it has the feel of it and it also lets us very much let's us know that Lydia Tár is a complex character. And then we move into a conversation in a restaurant that lasts for ten minutes and then a study session that lasts for - well, you get the idea. It's certainly not a film that pampers to those with short attention spans.

However, even those not paying attention will probably pick up on the fact that Lydia is not a nice person - and as the film goes on, it becomes clear exactly how not nice she is. But, can we, or should we separate the art from the artist? And will she suffer the consequences of her actions? I'm obviously not going to tell you that, but you should know it takes its own sweet time in getting there (the film is 2:38 long), it took some turns I wasn't expecting it to and I had no bloody clue what the ending was all about (although the internet did help me out a bit here).

Funnily enough, as Lydia Tár, Cate Blanchett very much takes centre stage (or, more accurately, the podium) in this and it's a phenomenal performance - I've obviously no idea what conductors are like, but she plays it exactly like I'd expect one to be. Other noteworthy roles are Nina Hoss as Sharon, Lydia's long-suffering wife and Noémie Merlant (our third visit with her - she was excellent in Portrait Of A Lady On Fire) as Francesca, Lydia's long-suffering assistant - Francesca is an interesting character and I would have liked to have seen more of her. I'd also call out Mark Strong (who I saw last week in Oedipus) who is only really in one major scene which is a two hander with Cate Blanchett but it goes on for ages and Sophie Kauer as Olga - Sophie is a cellist who studied at the Royal Academy of Music but she blends in with the exalted acting company well.

As well as some fine acting, it also looks fantastic - concert halls are always going to look good but there's much more variety to it than that with some excellent locations. It's also very well shot - I know I previously mentioned the long scenes, but the style changes as the film progresses to reflect Lydia's increasingly fragile mental state with much shorter and less coherent scenes.

However, throughout the film some very odd things happen and it never even tries to explain them - for instance, she spends an awful lot of time examining the inside of her fridge. She also hears some weird beeping noises - and these are "explained", but it's such a bizarre explanation that I was left completely perplexed. I was also confused by the bilingual nature of the film - I know it's set in Berlin but all the German made me annoyed until I remembered to turn the subtitles on (I'm no millenial, me!).

So - did I enjoy the film? It's certainly an interesting film with a lot to admire about it with it's terrific central performance and it always looks immaculate - but I was confused for quite a lot of it. I felt I didn't understand a lot of what it was trying to tell me - I think that was intended to reflect the turmoil in Lydia's life, but I can't be absolutely sure (I checked and the internet isn't sure either - quelle surprise!). I do think it's too long, but I wasn't bored at any time and I was certainly intrigued for large portions of it - personally I was happy enough with the ending (once the internet had explained some of the details to me) but I'd have preferred a slightly clearer path to get there, but I guess these things are all subjective. I'd say that overall it is a recommendation from me but you might find it somewhat frustrating - if you fancy it it's available to stream on Netflix or to rent in all the usual locations.

#7 - A load of fun
#5 - An absolutely gorgeous film