Tar * * ½

This isn't a scholarly film review blog. ("No shit!" I hear you say). Either I like the last film I've seen or I don't.  As part  of this unfiltered approach I try to do as little research as possible before seeing a film or writing about it. But sometimes I read the professional reviews afterward. And sometimes I'm quite surprised by what I  read - Like Tar is supposed to be some kind of work of genius.  Huh!?

There are a few scenes which I will acknowledge as being good, but overall it comes across as phony.  The weird thing is, I think being real is terribly important to those involved in the making of it.

It's written and directed by Todd Field. He's one of those directors that comes up with a film every ten years or so. I think he spends the rest of his time writing and acting and doing other things in the film industry, whilst developing his next pet project. 

 Only two and a half stars?! Doh!

Tar stars Cate Blanchett as an orchestra conductor and director.  We are introduced to Lydia Tar doing an interview which commences with an absurdly over the top resume of her achievements. The questions sound phony and the responses sound phony. At least they did to me: non spontaneous, rehearsed to death.  You know, the type that politicians do before election day. People pretending to ask profound questions  so the interviewee can give profound answers.  The trouble is, in the context of the film we are asked to believe this is a real free-flowing interview. It sounded like people reading from an auto-cue to me.

We move on.  Lydia Tar is now giving a teaching session at Juilliard where she takes apart a "woke'" student who has decided he won't do Bach.  Lydia Tar's argument is strong and I appreciated it, but again I'm thinking, this doesn't look real. Not even a little bit.  Her posturing, her extraordinary vocabulary and ability to sum up her argument with such rapidity and insight.   Once again it sounded like what it is.  What it really is. Someone who has remembered their lines from a screenplay. Not a real person.

And so it goes on until I realised this is just going to be two and and a half hours (too long) of posturing with very little story.  Seriously, nearly two hours in and there is no real issue to be overcome.  It's not until the last thirty minutes when she has to face accusations that we finally get an item to be dealt with. But on the way we learn she is a lesbian in a long term relationship with a member of the orchestra, they have a daughter and she can be quite ruthless and conniving. She's not a very likeable person to be honest.  But that's okay, film is full of unlikeable characters who we are happy to spend time with, as long as they're interesting or have a dilemma of some sort.

Maybe the intent is for the story to be the character study and the character study to be the story?  That's okay. I can go with that - if I felt this was a real person. I'm not knocking Cate.  She does the best she can with what she's got to work with but what she's got is a bit of an oddity.

The trouble with Lydia Tar is that she is a concoction.  Some are calling her multi-faceted and complex because she's a brilliant person but also a petty minded, selfish bitch.  But what I saw was something invented to reflect topical issues like misuse of power, and the insidious trend of cancel culture which is fine, but can we have a decent story too please?  Tar is irritatingly directionless.

Also, it's smarty-pants.  It makes a big deal about a little knowledge. It name drops to the shit house to make itself sound informed about great composers and conductors from the past, giving us petty anecdotes and gossip. (By the way gossip and slanderous rumor does not demonstrate knowledge or insight).

Blanchett can throw herself around and be as whacky as she likes but Lydia Tar is dead on the page and nothing is going to bring her to life. It's just words.  Perhaps if Lydia Tar had been a more modest character it might have worked.  But with her towering achievements and being the boss of the Berlin Philharmonic (no less than!), she comes across as cartoonish even as she falls from grace.

Like an unconvincing speech, a contrived proposal, or even a lie, it's always begging us to believe. Look, I am sure Todd Field was serious in his intent. Indeed there is enough here to argue for two viewings and in a way one does not feel fair if I they don't do that. Perhaps I would appreciate it more if I did.  The only trouble is, after the first viewing I really don't want to.