Review of TÁR (2022) by Moviemitch96 — 21 Oct 2022

Cate blanchett stars as fictional German philharmonic composer Lydia Tar, whose personal and professional life is depicted here, along with the many trials and tribulations she faces within both. Written and directed by Todd Field, with this also being his first film in 16 years (since 2006's 'Little Children ' with Kate Winslet), the film starts off intriguingly enough and is filmed and edited with great confidence to accompany Blanchett's commanding screen presence.

The film unconventionally seems content in focusing on the little and mundane details of Tar's every day life, as the film is largely composed (no pun intended) of extended conversations and business meetings between her and several colleagues of hers, along with the occasional scene of symphony rehearsal.

And like I said, this starts off all good and fine for the first half hour or so, largely in thanks to the confident and intriguing editing to go with Blanchett's performance. Unfortunately, at a little over two and a half hours, that all gets dragged way the hell out and completely overstays its welcome.

The further in I got into the film's runtime, the more and more pretentious and self-gratifying the whole thing started to feel. By the time the film reached its end, I couldn't help but scoff at it all and what I'd just watched.

Blanchett's tour de force performance is literally the only good thing this film has going for it in the end, but even that might not be enough to warrant a view in my eyes. Overall, Blanchett graces us with some of her best work in years here.

I just wish the same could be said about Field's first outing in 16 years, because the film is as pretentious and self-indulgent as they come.