Tár

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Tár
Theatrical release poster
Directed byTodd Field
Written byTodd Field
Produced by
  • Alexandra Milchan
  • Scott Lambert
  • Todd Field
Starring
CinematographyFlorian Hoffmeister
Edited byMonika Willi
Music byHildur Guðnadóttir
Production
companies
  • Standard Film Company
  • EMJAG Productions
Distributed by
Release dates
  • September 1, 2022 (2022-09-01) (Venice)
  • October 7, 2022 (2022-10-07) (United States)
  • February 23, 2023 (2023-02-23) (Germany)
Running time
158 minutes
Countries
  • United States
  • Germany
LanguageEnglish
Box office$5.1 million[1][2]

Tár (stylized as TÁR) is a 2022 drama film directed, written and produced by Todd Field. The film depicts the life and downfall of a renowned composer-conductor, Lydia Tár, portrayed by Cate Blanchett. The supporting cast includes Noémie Merlant, Nina Hoss, Sophie Kauer, Julian Glover, Allan Corduner and Mark Strong.

Tár had its world premiere at the 79th Venice International Film Festival in September 2022, where Blanchett won the Volpi Cup for Best Actress. It had a limited theatrical release in the United States on October 7, 2022, before a wide release on October 28, 2022, by Focus Features.[3] The film received acclaim from critics, who lauded Blanchett's performance, and Field's direction and screenplay.

Plot

Mahler Symphony No. 5, I. Trauermarsch; the movement that Lydia is primarily concerned with conducting throughout the film, its opening acting as a backdrop for the film's climactic moments.

Lydia Tár is one of the greatest living composer-conductors, and first female chief conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic. In an interview with Adam Gopnik at The New Yorker Festival, she promotes several new projects, including most prominently, her upcoming live recording of Mahler's 5th Symphony. She relies on Francesca, her attentive personal assistant, and Sharon, her sickly wife and concertmaster. Lydia has lunch with Eliot Kaplan,[a] a conductor who also manages a fellowship program she founded for aspiring women conductors; and talks of her plans to replace her assistant conductor, Sebastian, presumably with Francesca, and to fill an open cello position in the orchestra.

Later, Lydia guest teaches a class at Juilliard. She ridicules a student's lack of interest in conducting the classical masters on the basis of identity politics, encouraging the students to look past superficial differences to the music underneath, from which they can learn. The criticized student storms out.

In Berlin, Lydia receives Vita Sackville-West's novel Challenge, sent by Krista Taylor, a former member of her fellowship program. It is suggested through dream sequences and email interactions that Lydia groomed Krista into a sexually transactional relationship that later fell apart. Lydia attempts to blacklist Krista, encouraging Francesca to delete any emails from or about her.

During a blind audition for a new orchestra cellist, Lydia sees one hopeful, the Russian Olga, in the bathroom. Attracted to Olga, Lydia secures her favors, such as changing her scorecard to ensure a spot in the orchestra, and a soloist position in the companion piece to Mahler's 5th, Edward Elgar's cello concerto. As she intensively prepares for the Mahler's 5th recording, her relationships with Francesca and Sharon become strained, as both of them recognize her attraction to Olga.

Lydia informs Sebastian of his imminent replacement. Incensed, he indicates the orchestra is aware of her favoritism, and that it suggests abusive behavior towards young women. He speculates Francesca will be his replacement, implying an exchange of sexual favors. Unnerved by the accusations, Lydia plans to replace Sebastian with a different candidate.

Krista commits suicide, leaving a note with serious allegations against Lydia. Lydia retains a lawyer as Krista's parents plan to sue her. Lydia is haunted by screaming women in the distance, nightmares, chronic pain, an increasing sensitivity to sound, and enigmatic scribbles resembling those Krista once made. Her only respites are Olga, as well as her and Sharon's adopted daughter, Petra.

While trying to write new compositions, she is continually disturbed and disgusted by her middle-class neighbor who cares for a dying mother. One day, after practicing Olga's solo, Lydia follows Olga home to an abandoned, dilapidated apartment complex. Scared by a dog, Lydia trips and injures herself. She lies to Sharon and her orchestra, claiming the injuries were from an assault. Without telling Lydia, Francesca resigns upon learning she will not be replacing Sebastian.

An edited, out-of-context video of Lydia's Juilliard class goes viral, and an article with accusations against her appears in the New York Post. Protesters meet Lydia as she returns to New York to promote her book and attend a deposition for Krista's lawsuit. At the deposition, it is implied that Francesca has shared damning emails with the plaintiff. She takes Olga along, presumably with hopes of sex, but Olga abandons her. Eliot drops her as a client. Back home, Sharon leaves with Petra, furious with the allegations, but more so at Lydia's lack of communication or seeking her counsel as her spouse.

Lydia is removed as conductor. She sneaks into the live recording performance of Mahler's 5th and as the music begins, rushes onstage and attacks her replacement, Eliot. Advised to lie low by her crisis management agency, she returns to her lower-class childhood home on Staten Island, where we learn through various awards on her childhood bedroom wall that her birth name is Linda Tarr. As she watches tapes of her mentor Leonard Bernstein, her brother comes home. Not admitting to the real reason for her visit, he can only respond with, "but you don't seem to know where the hell you came from or where you're going."

Sometime later, Lydia conducts an orchestra in Southeast Asia. On a tour of the local wilderness, Lydia sits behind a waterfall in silence. At a massage parlor/brothel, she is instructed to pick her masseuse from a glass bowl, the escorts staged and framed like her orchestra. One girl looks up into Lydia's eyes, her position the same as Olga's, and Lydia rushes outside to vomit. Finally, she conducts her new orchestra in the score for the video game series Monster Hunter in front of an audience of cosplayers.

Cast

  • Cate Blanchett as Linda Tarr/"Lydia Tár", a world-famous composer-conductor
  • Noémie Merlant as Francesca Lentini, Lydia's assistant
  • Nina Hoss as Sharon Goodnow, a concertmaster and Lydia's wife
  • Sophie Kauer as Olga Metkina, a young Russian cellist
  • Julian Glover as Andris Davis, Lydia's predecessor
  • Allan Corduner as Sebastian Brix, Lydia's assistant conductor
  • Mark Strong as Eliot Kaplan, investment banker, amateur conductor and manager of Lydia's fellowship program
  • Sylvia Flote as Krista Taylor, a former member of Lydia's fellowship program
  • Adam Gopnik as himself, the interviewer of Lydia for The New Yorker Festival
  • Mila Bogojevic as Petra, Lydia and Sharon's adopted daughter
  • Zethphan Smith-Gneist as Max, a Juilliard student who disagrees with Lydia

Production

Writer and director Todd Field and lead actress and executive producer Cate Blanchett

It was announced in April 2021 that Cate Blanchett would star in and executive-produce the film, which would be written and directed by Todd Field.[5][6] In a statement accompanying the teaser trailer in August 2022, Field said that he wrote the script specifically for Blanchett, and that if she had said no, "the film would have never seen the light of day."[7]

The Dresden Philharmonic was used as a stand-in for Lydia Tár's fictitious Berlin orchestra.

In September 2021, Nina Hoss and Noémie Merlant joined the cast, and Hildur Guðnadóttir became the film's composer.[8]

Filming began in August 2021 in Berlin.[9] In an interview with The Guardian in October, Mark Strong revealed that he had finished filming scenes for the film.[10] In November, it was reported that Sophie Kauer, Julian Glover, Allan Corduner and Sylvia Flote had joined the cast.[3] (Kauer is a British-German classical cellist who studied at the Royal Academy of Music.[11]) All diegetic music was recorded live on-set, including Blanchett's piano playing, Kauer's cello, and the Dresden Philharmonic's performances.

Release

Tár premiered at the 79th Venice International Film Festival on September 1, 2022,[12] and had its first North American screening at the Telluride Film Festival on September 3, 2022.[13] It had a limited theatrical release on October 7, 2022, then expanded to wide release on October 28.[14][3]

The film was released for VOD on November 15, 2022, with a Blu-ray, DVD and 4K UHD release set for January 2023.[15]

Music

Main article: Tár (Music from and Inspired by the Motion Picture)

A concept album was released on October 21, 2022, featuring Guðnadóttir's score with the London Contemporary Orchestra conducted by Robert Ames, as well as a rehearsal of Gustav Mahler's fifth symphony with Blanchett conducting the Dresden Philharmonic. Cellist Sophie Kauer is also heard on the album playing Elgar's Cello Concerto, backed by the London Symphony Orchestra conducted by Natalie Murray Beale.[16] For the week ending November 5, 2022, the Tár concept album topped Billboard magazine's Traditional Classical Albums at number one, ahead of albums by the actual Berlin Philharmonic.[17]

Reception

Box office

In the United States and Canada, the film made $158,620 from four theaters in its opening weekend, then $330,000 from 36 theaters in its second.[18][19] In its third weekend the film made $500,035 from 141 theaters.[20] Expanding to 1,087 theaters in its fourth weekend, the film made $1.02 million, finishing 10th.[21] In its second of wide release the film made $729,605 (marking a drop of 30%).[22]

Critical response

On Rotten Tomatoes, 92% of 218 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 8.3/10. The website's consensus reads, "Led by the soaring melody of Cate Blanchett's note-perfect performance, Tár riffs brilliantly on the discordant side of fame-fueled power."[23] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 91 out of 100, based on 47 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[24] Audiences polled by PostTrak gave the film a 72% overall positive score, with 42% saying that they would definitely recommend it.[21]

A. O. Scott of The New York Times lauded Field's measured handling of the story and Blanchett's portrayal, concluding that the film "doesn't so much smash a glass ceiling as dissolve it by creative fiat" and "plants itself in a tawdry and contentious zone of contemporary discourse".[25] In Variety, Owen Gleiberman said that Field "enmeshes us in a tautly unfolding narrative of quiet duplicity, corporate intrigue, and – ultimately – erotic obsession" in such an organic fashion "that for a while you don't even realize you're watching a 'story.'"[26] Justin Chang for the Los Angeles Times regarded the film as "both a superb character study and a highly persuasive piece of world building", stating that the director's "storytelling draws no artificial distinction between the big and the small, the important and the mundane; everything we see and hear matters".[27] Reviewing the film for The Hollywood Reporter, David Rooney wrote: "Tár marks yet another career peak for Blanchett – many are likely to argue her greatest – and a fervent reason to hope it's not 16 more years before Field gives us another feature. It's a work of genius."[28] Richard Brody in The New Yorker describes Tár as "a regressive film that takes bitter aim at so-called cancel culture and lampoons so-called identity politics" and laments Field's "absence of style" in filming the music. He accuses the film of "conservative button-pushing" with a regressive, conservative and narrow aesthetic, failing to achieve dramatic unity.[29]

Accolades

Award Date of ceremony Category Recipient(s) Result Ref.
Venice Film Festival September 10, 2022 Golden Lion Todd Field Nominated [30][31]
Queer Lion Nominated
Volpi Cup for Best Actress Cate Blanchett Won
Mill Valley Film Festival October 18, 2022 Overall Audience Favorite Tár Won [32]
Hollywood Music in Media Awards November 16, 2022 Music Themed Film, Biopic or Musical Tár Won [33]
International Film Festival of the Art of Cinematography Camerimage November 19, 2022 Main Competition (Golden Frog) Florian Hoffmeister Won [34]
Gotham Independent Film Awards November 28, 2022 Best Feature Tár Pending [35]
Outstanding Lead Performance Cate Blanchett Pending
Outstanding Supporting Performance Nina Hoss Pending
Noémie Merlant Pending
Best Screenplay Todd Field Pending
Palm Springs International Film Festival January 5, 2023 Desert Palm Achievement Award, Actress Cate Blanchett Won [36]
Santa Barbara International Film Festival February 10, 2023 Outstanding Performer of the Year Award Cate Blanchett Won [37]
Independent Spirit Awards March 4, 2023 Best Feature Todd Field, Scott Lambert, Alexandra Milchan Pending [38]
Best Director Todd Field Pending
Best Lead Performance Cate Blanchett Pending
Best Supporting Performance Nina Hoss Pending
Best Screenplay Todd Field Pending
Best Cinematography Florian Hoffmeister Pending
Best Editing Monika Willi Pending

Notes

  1. ^ Eliot Kaplan is a thinly-veiled portrayal of investment banker/occasional conductor Gilbert Kaplan[4]

References

  1. ^ "Tár". The Numbers. Nash Information Services, LLC. Retrieved November 27, 2022.
  2. ^ "Tár". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved November 27, 2022.
  3. ^ a b c D'Alessandro, Anthony (November 24, 2021). "Todd Field Cate Blanchett Movie Tár Sets 2022 Release & Adds Nina Hoss, Noémie Merlant, Mark Strong & More". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved November 24, 2021.
  4. ^ Pamela McClintock (November 12, 2022). "Making of Tár: How Director Todd Field Pushed His Creative Team to the Limit". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved November 15, 2022.
  5. ^ Fleming, Mike Jr. (April 12, 2021). "Cate Blanchett, Todd Field Team on Tár for Focus Features". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on April 12, 2021. Retrieved September 14, 2021.
  6. ^ Lattanzio, Ryan (April 12, 2021). "'In the Bedroom,' 'Little Children' Director Todd Field Sets First Film in 15 Years, Starring Cate Blanchett". IndieWire. Archived from the original on April 12, 2021. Retrieved September 14, 2021.
  7. ^ Pearce, Leonard (August 25, 2022). "Cate Blanchett is a Musical Force in the New Trailer for Todd Field's Tár". The Film Stage. Retrieved August 26, 2022.
  8. ^ Raup, Jordan (September 8, 2021). "Nina Hoss and Noémie Merlant Join Cate Blanchett in Todd Field's Tár". The Film Stage. Retrieved September 14, 2021.
  9. ^ Ruimy, Jordan (August 28, 2021). "Director Todd Field's Tár Starring Cate Blanchett Starts Production; Field's First Film in Over 15 Years". World of Reel. Retrieved September 14, 2021.
  10. ^ Cocozza, Paula (October 28, 2021). "Mark Strong on acting, insecurity and life without a father: 'I got angry as I got older. It took years to fix". The Guardian. Retrieved November 19, 2021.
  11. ^ "Sophie Kauer (cello) – Biography". Kulmag Live. Retrieved July 28, 2022.
  12. ^ "Biennale Cinema 2022 | Tár". La Biennale di Venezia. Retrieved August 30, 2022.
  13. ^ Feinberg, Scott (September 4, 2022). "Telluride Awards Analysis: Tár Star Cate Blanchett Looks Oscars-Bound for One of Her Most Impressive Turns". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved September 12, 2022.
  14. ^ TÁR [@tarmovie] (September 21, 2022). "Tickets are now on sale for Todd Field's Tár. In select theaters October 7, everywhere October 28" (Tweet). Retrieved September 21, 2022 – via Twitter.
  15. ^ "TAR DVD Release Date". www.dvdsreleasedates.com. Retrieved November 21, 2022.
  16. ^ Gonzales, Kristian (September 11, 2022). "Tár Concept Album, Featuring Hildur Guðnadóttir and Cate Blanchett, Will Arrive in October". uDiscoverMusic. Retrieved September 12, 2022.
  17. ^ "Traditional Classical Albums". Billboard. November 11, 2022. Retrieved November 5, 2022.
  18. ^ Goldsmith, Jill (October 16, 2022). "Till, Decision To Leave Open Strong As Tár, Triangle Of Sadness Persevere; A Comeback For Adult-Minded Fare? – Specialty Box Office". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved October 16, 2022.
  19. ^ "Domestic 2022 Weekend 41". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved October 18, 2022.
  20. ^ Goldsmith, Jill (October 23, 2022). "The Banshees of Inisherin Crowns October Indie Revival – Specialty Box Office". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved October 23, 2022.
  21. ^ a b D'Alessandro, Anthony (October 30, 2022). "Black Adam Flies to $111M+ During Sluggish Halloween Weekend – Sunday Box Office". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved October 30, 2022.
  22. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (November 6, 2022). "Black Adam Gobbles Up Crunchyroll's One Piece Film Red at Box Office with Beefy $18M+ Third Weekend – Sunday AM Update". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved November 6, 2022.
  23. ^ "Tár". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved November 22, 2022.
  24. ^ "Tár (2022) Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved November 14, 2022.
  25. ^ Scott, A. O. (October 7, 2022). "Tár Review: A Maestro Faces the Music". The New York Times. Retrieved October 17, 2022.
  26. ^ Gleiberman, Owen (September 1, 2022). "Tár Review: Cate Blanchett Acts With Ferocious Force in Todd Field's Masterful Drama About a Celebrity Conductor". Variety. Retrieved October 17, 2022.
  27. ^ Chang, Justin (October 7, 2022). "Review: Cate Blanchett is at the peak of her powers in Tár, a magnificent cinematic symphony". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 17, 2022.
  28. ^ Rooney, David (September 1, 2022). "Tár Review: Cate Blanchett Astounds in Todd Field's Blistering Character Study". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved November 11, 2022.
  29. ^ Richard Brody (October 12, 2022). "Tár, Reviewed: Regressive Ideas to Match Regressive Aesthetics". The New Yorker. Retrieved November 26, 2022.
  30. ^ Tartaglione, Nancy (September 10, 2022). "Venice Film Festival Winners: Golden Lion Goes To 'All The Beauty And The Bloodshed'; Luca Guadagnino Best Director, Martin McDonagh Best Screenplay; Cate Blanchett, Colin Farrell Take Acting Prizes". Deadline. Retrieved September 10, 2022.
  31. ^ Goldstein, Gregg (September 1, 2022). "Tár Leads Large Pack of Venice Pics in Race for Queer Lion". Variety. Retrieved September 15, 2022.
  32. ^ Anderson, Erik (October 18, 2022). "Tár wins Mill Valley Film Festival Audience Award; The Whale, Close receive top awards". AwardsWatch. Retrieved October 19, 2022.
  33. ^ Grein, Paul (November 3, 2022). "Rihanna, Lady Gaga & More Nominated for 2022 Hollywood Music in Media Awards: Full List". Billboard. Retrieved November 3, 2022.
  34. ^ "EnergaCAMERIMAGE 2022 WINNERS!". Camerimage. November 19, 2022. Archived from the original on November 19, 2022. Retrieved November 19, 2022.
  35. ^ Shanfield, Ethan (October 25, 2022). "Tár Leads Gotham Awards Nominations: Full List". Variety. Retrieved October 25, 2022.
  36. ^ Hipes, Patrick (November 21, 2022). "Palm Springs Film Festival Awards: Cate Blanchett To Receive Lead Actress Honor". Deadline. Retrieved November 21, 2022.
  37. ^ Feinberg, Scott (November 8, 2022). "Santa Barbara Film Fest: Cate Blanchett to Receive Outstanding Performer of the Year Award for Tár (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved November 8, 2022.
  38. ^ Lattanzio, Ryan (November 22, 2022). "2023 Film Independent Spirit Award Nominations Announced (Updating Live)". IndieWire. Retrieved November 22, 2022.

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Tár&oldid=1124442005"