‘TAR’ tells the story of a powerful person’s downfall, a theme that feels especially relevant in the 2020s, an era shaped by the #MeToo movement and cancel culture.
Kate Blanchett stars as Lydia Tar, the Berlin Philharmonic’s first female chief conductor, a position of immense prestige. She is also openly lesbian, living with her female partner and their adopted daughter in a modern family.
She is celebrated in her time. In the opening scene, she chooses records from a stack of albums featuring only male conductors, standing on them as she picks. This ironic image sums up the film’s main theme.
The role of conductor symbolises power, and Blanchett embodies this perfectly.
The film ‘TAR’ employs the profession of conductor with exquisite effect. In an orchestra, the conductor is literally the master of time. The start and end of the performance, the tempo’s pace and rhythm—all are determined by the conductor’s will. This is a perfect metaphor for power structures in real society.
Cate Blanchett’s performance in this complex, symbolic role is outstanding. Her commanding presence, which earned her the Best Actress award at the Venice International Film Festival, feels like a solo performance.
The character Blanchett portrays, Tar, is depicted as an extreme control freak. Her irritation at the sound of the neighbour’s doorbell, her attempts to hum it herself or reproduce it on the piano, all speak to her intense desire for control. Blanchett masterfully conveys these subtle psychological nuances. From the confident expression she wears at the pinnacle of power, to the dominant moment during a music conservatory teaching scene where she reacts to a student’s trivial noise—a nervous leg-shaking—and skillfully tries to silence them with words, to the subtle psychological shifts as she is gradually cornered, everything is utterly convincing.
Co-star Noémie Merlant also delivers an impressive performance as the enigmatic Olga, but it’s no exaggeration to say this film is Blanchett’s vehicle for portraying the fragility and arrogance that lurk at the heart of a power figure. The fusion of the role of an absolute authority figure—the conductor—and the legendary actress who embodies it perfectly is the film’s greatest highlight.
The film’s artistic ambition is clear in its visuals and sound design, but this also creates a distance from the audience.
Director Todd Field’s work is polished both visually and in sound. Each shot looks like a painting, and the long takes in the concert hall are especially impressive.
The use of long, unbroken shots matches the main character’s personality, and the way this becomes ironic by the end is handled well. The sound design is also carefully crafted, with dialogue full of classical music terms that show great attention to detail.
But this focus on artistic perfection is also the film’s biggest challenge. Even though it runs for more than 2.5 hours, it doesn’t offer much entertainment value.
For someone like me without specialised knowledge of classical music, simply following the dialogue was difficult. I also found many scenes tedious. Compared to other music-themed psychological thrillers like “Whiplash,” it falls significantly short in accessibility. While “Whiplash” drew audiences in through the raw power of the drums and the clear conflict between teacher and student, ‘TAR’ is deliberately crafted to push viewers away. It is precisely a classic example of a work that sacrifices entertainment value in the pursuit of artistic merit.
A Challenge to Modern Society Through Complex Power Structures
The film’s greatest strength lies in how its complexity and diversity of interpretations function as a sharp critique of contemporary society. The structure where the protagonist, Tar, is a lesbian woman yet effectively embodies traditional masculine values symbolises the complexity of power structures in modern society.
Although Tar and her partner are a same-sex couple, their relationship looks a lot like a traditional husband-and-wife setup. The fact that her partner mainly takes care of cooking and childcare points to deeper problems beneath the surface of diversity.
This complexity is important when looking at cancel culture today. The film shows the deep problems in society through characters who are both powerful and part of a minority, avoiding simple good-versus-evil stories. When minorities gain power, does the world really improve, or is the power structure itself the problem?
The concert scene in Asia towards the end also extends this line of questioning. Whether it’s seen as a return to basics and a fresh start, a continued manifestation of power-seeking, or a condescending portrayal of Southeast Asia, the interpretation feels left to each viewer’s values.
In the end, all interpretations come back to basic questions about power, discrimination, and real equality in today’s world. Director Todd Field doesn’t give clear answers, but instead encourages viewers to think and discuss these issues themselves.
Summary: The Value of Film Questioned Between Entertainment and Art
The film ‘TAR’ symbolises the dichotomy between “entertainment films” and “art films” in contemporary cinema, presenting a rather challenging work. Similarly, selective art films include Hayao Miyazaki’s ‘How Do You Live?’, Terrence Malick’s ‘The Tree of Life’, and Christopher Nolan’s ‘Tenet’. What these films share is that, by prioritising auteurism, they significantly deviate from the grammar of mainstream entertainment cinema. On the other hand, films like ‘Black Swan’ and ‘Phantom Thread’ pursue artistic merit while remaining accessible to audiences, proving that balancing artistry and entertainment is possible.
However, the true value of ‘TAR’ may lie precisely in this stance of “selecting its audience.” By directly confronting the complex power structures of modern society and the phenomenon of cancel culture, while refusing to offer easy answers, cinema feels like an artistic expression transcending mere entertainment.
Cate Blanchett’s powerful performance and the film’s stunning visuals make it worth watching, but its importance goes beyond art. It addresses issues relevant to everyone today.
“It doesn’t need to be loved by all audiences.” With that in mind, this film is sure to reward anyone looking for a thought-provoking movie. The lasting emotions and unanswered questions may be its greatest strengths.
