Long and kind of boring.
Good performances but that’s about all that can say.
Not sure what the fuss is about.
5/10
honestly what the fuck was that?
masterclass in acting from Cate Blanchett
I don't know if people keep saying it's amazing to feel cool and pretend to be a movie's critic, but it's boring, goes nowhere and you get really of it at the first 30 minutes. No plot twist, nothing happens to her, nothing was explain.
“Don’t be so eager to be offended. The narcissism of small differences leads to the most boring conformity.”
Could arts be viewed independently without considering morals of artists? I think reducing the movie to being about "cancel culture" is doing it a disservice.
I had no idea what to expect going into Tar, but I was pleasantly surprised with how much I enjoyed it. It's sharp, it's in your face, it's dynamic, a brilliant piece or writing. It's almost unbelievable that this is not based on a true story because it all feels so incredibly real.
The pacing was slow, especially the first hour to hour and a half, however, it somehow made 158 minutes pass by without me realizing.
Performances, cinematography, screenplay - all of it is just done so well. The dialogue can feel very pretentious, especially when it dives into the engine that drives classical music. Cate Blanchett is so mesmerising that you actually forget it's Cate Blanchett and that Lydia Tár is not a real person. It’s the kind of complex role that women only rarely get.
What I loved. The ending! Perfection! Having trouble finding the words to talk about the plot but apparently rock bottom for a famous conductor is a live anime show.
Despite being a huge Cate Blanchett fan this isn't the first movie of hers I didn't finish (Malick's "Knight of Cups being the other).
Having to sit through minutes of credits before the movie even starts, followed by a fifteen minute interview with the main character doesn't help to take me into the movie. So does not knowing all the musical terms they are using here. You hear the words but can't make sense of it (ultimately it might not even be important to understand it but you feel you should). Shortly thereafter another long scene at a restaurant were I again can't make heads or tails what they are talking about. I feel like I am already watching for an hour but it's just barely half of that and I'm looking for reasons to watch this for two more. After another fifteen minutes went by I give up. Why do I want to know more about this person, why should I care ? I don't know.
At the two hour mark, the movie just breezing by me, I decide it's not worth it for me. In the past I wrote somewhere, that I would watch Cate sitting on a chair for two hours. And I'd rather would've done that.
See, I can't even tell you anything about the content of the movie. I just described how I experienced it.
Not for me.
Cate Blanchett is truly fantastic in Tár. I'm sure she'll be nominated at pretty much every awards show. But the film is also more than just an Oscar vehicle. It addresses a wide range of issues affecting the world of arts in the twenty-first century. It's about separating art from the artist, systemic power abuse a la "MeToo," and the so-called "cancel culture." The focus here, however, is not on the victims. Instead, for almost the entire runtime (a whopping 158 minutes), we follow the fictional conductor Lydia Tár (Blanchett), who is guilty of quite a few things. Not everything she's accused of is true, though.
Not everyone will like the way the film answers the various questions. It positions itself too strongly in a certain direction for that. Nevertheless, it is fascinating to follow the main character in her downfall. I was also able to understand everything to some extent, even though I don't have much of a connection to classical music or the orchestral business. Yes, there are a lot of technical terms used, but you don't need to know them to understand the plot.
I did have an issue with the pacing, though. There are several lengthy, riveting scenes that stand out. These include the Juilliard lesson, which has been mentioned numerous times already. But I would also point to several dream sequences in which the main character's psychological breakdown is made apparent. In between these repeatedly great moments, however, the movie often became too drawn out for me. I sometimes couldn't stop myself from looking at my watch. But the film drew me back in near the end. I especially did not foresee how the story would end for Lydia Tár.
A really dull movie. I don’t know what all the fuss is about.
Tar takes a long time to get where it's going and when it arrives, it plays in mezzo-piano when fortissimo is needed. However, Cate Blanchett's talent radiates from the screen. Her ability to transform into her character is nothing short of exceptional.
There's a subtle construction that is sustained in two long sequences during the first part: the interview and the class. They are the two springs that raise the main themes of the film, and for this reason the structure proposed by Todd Field is exquisite and intelligent. The secrets are the inner demons, the symbolic representation of a persecution that is more psychological. Supported by a superb Cate Blanchett, the film has that Kubrickian film planning that at times can be too obvious, but feels comfortable in the construction of spaces that suffocate and imprison, despite their breadth.
Abstract and pompous like the titular character, Tár throws you in at the deep-end and seldom gives you time to start kicking your legs and get your head above water before unpacking these characters and the world they inhabit. We the audience are thrown into the suffocating world of Western classical music, the cut-throat nature of which is apparent right from the jump. Tár has multiple things to say and it says them all with ambiguity and a passing comment, nothing direct or forced; this off-hand delivery will completely glance off many and makes the subtleties of this plot impenetrable for most. There's discussion of cancel culture, religion, spirituality, ego, heirarchy and positions of power, prestige, wealth, sexuality, art and the nature of mastering your craft; so many messages just thrown to the wall for the audience to pick up and form their own understanding of. There's also so many vague scenes that are left to the viewers interpretation to draw meaningful conclusions from, many that define Tar as a character and how you feel about her. There's also some very good horror elements dotted throughout that I feel might go unnoticed as they are very "blink and you'll miss it" in nature.
2022 really is the year of the character studies, with Tár and The Whale leading the charge. I think I preferred the latter much more than the former, but I can see the merits of this movie and the craft that has gone into its creation. Blanchett completely embodies this character, and her performance is as good as you've heard. If you enjoy dissecting film, watching them over and over to discern details that you missed the first time round, then Tár will be your favourite movie of the year, maybe even the decade. There's so much to pour and ponder over here I feel compelled to try and carve out another viewing of this behemoth. I feel going into the dense opening act of the movie armed with the knowledge of how it all plays out might shine some light on what originally was an impenetrable wall of music lingo and cold open character plots.
A masterpiece? Possibly to some, but you're going to have to work hard to get the most from this dense, layered mammoth. Prepare yourself for at least two viewings, you're gonna need it.
Complex and multi-layered character study that can offer a lot to unpack. It’s intriguing how subtle it can get when facing inward despite coming across as explicit (if not a little up itself) while going through its agenda on the superficiality of me too and canceling culture. I particularly liked how noise increasingly starts haunting the conductor while her control of the world slowly slips out of her fingers.
Still, I have to confess that I have a thing for fetish actresses in ambiguous roles being tormented for whole movies, especially if I can get sprinkles of gothic/oneiric on top.
The only thing that felt a little silly is the Linda thing towards the end, but everything that comes right after that effortlessly makes up for it, showing one more time that irony can hide in the detail, without having someone spelling out every reference.
Hilarious and haunting. There's a real beguiling quality to this film - it's a character study and yet it manages to touch on so many grand and complex themes while being so singularly focused. Power, obsession, identity politics, image/persona, the transcendent qualities of art, passion, the list could go on.
The classroom scene in the first act really seems to put a context around the rest of the film. Can the merits of a piece of art be separated from the creator? Are they inextricable? Is it an act of ego to dismiss something because we take offence? Do we deny ourselves of something valuable when we moralize art and the artist? Lydia Tar certainly seems to think so. She admonishes her student for letting his ego get in the way of perfecting his craft. She asks him something along the lines of "On what basis would you like those filling out your rating cards judge you?" The implied answer being, simply on my skill.
The "Apartment For Sale" song better be nominated for Best Original Song at the Oscars!
The film starts with as we see Lydia Tár, considered as the greatest living music conductor of the western classical music world, is at the height of her career and is preparing for a book launch and a much anticipated live performance of Mahlers Fifty Symphony. Over the ensuing weeks her life begins to unravel in a singularly modern way. The result is a searing examination of power, and its impact and durability in today's society. Cate Blanchett as Lydia Tár was note perfect on her role as the film riffs brilliantly on the discordant side of fame-fueled power. Tár can be tough to follow as it is mainly a 159mins of a psychological characters study of a singular fame fueled persona, but BLANCHETT in the title role makes it easily worth the effort. And undoubtedly one of the finest performance I've seen in the past few years of cinema.
Last year's "The worst person in the world" took away an appropriate title for this movie...
Cate Blanchett and the rest of the cast are brilliant, as the technical aspects and moral issues it raises - but boy, did I get an unpleasant feeling from Lydia Tár as a character
I loved this. It has been said countless times already, but Cate Blanchett is incredible in this film. She had me mesmerised.
Ok ok ok, God bless ‘Heavy Spoilers’ on YouTube - I now understand and appreciate this film :innocent:
What did I just watch?…
2 hours and 38 minutes of what? literally the most dull film i’ve seen in so long. Nothing is ever explained and I cannot understand the hype to this film.
The madness of geniuses. Filmmaker Todd Field's film centers on Lydia Tár, one of the greatest living composer/conductors and the first female principal conductor of a major German orchestra. Cate Blanchett, once again, shows that she is one of the best actresses that Hollywood has ever had in its history: her ability to interpret all the scenes, from the calmest to those full of energy and viscerality, amazes as viewer. Of course she deserves the Oscar for best leading actress, because she is undoubtedly the best in the movie. The script is good, and the direction manages to bring together the elements of each scene in a good way, but at the acting level nobody rises like Blanchett, and that obvious separation means that the film does not go further. It's a stupendous piece of acting, very well directed, but it puts so much weight on the leading lady that everything else is a bit tarnished by the brilliance of the center.
Sadly completely overrated. Blanchett is great the movie is mediocre at best. And it is way too long.
Incredible performance by Cate, so realistic that made me believe Lydia tar existed. Until I googled it at the end of the movie
Terrible movie , seriously do not watch .
There is so much to like about this film. First and foremost, Cate Blanchett goes off. While she is great in everything, I haven't seen her elevate a film in this manner since she saved Blue Jasmine from mediocrity. One of the things that I really liked about the film is how - from the very first scenes - it is clearly in no hurry to unpack. The movie is allowed to stretch its proverbial legs and settle in, and the audience is given an extended look into Blanchett's character and past. While the movie's main themes center around the abuse of power, exploitation, etc, I found myself spending more time thinking about the choices that the director made. I think that he did a fabulous job constructing the movie, and I especially love that he didn't dumb the movie down for less discerning viewers. There is a lot in this movie, if you want it.
I recently heard a phrase used in a movie review that fits this movie: I envied it more than I liked it. I loved the first hour and as the movie went on I became less enthused. I always feel weird expressing these kinds of sentiments for a movie that has an important message. But this is a movie and not a documentary so the entertainment factor has to be considered at some point. The film is always interesting but isn't always gripping.
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Like a novelty gift shop conductor's baton, it was longer but it could've been bigger.
This biofic is impeccably made and Cate Blanchett deserves all of her nominations, but I was surprised to see all of this gravitas expended on a topical subject.
She Said works because that film recounts the true story of a famous sexual predator's downfall, but I expected Tár to reach for loftier, more universal truths ("Music is the way you feel when you listen to it," for example) than 2020 newspaper headlines.
Tár isn't a bad film by any definition and the subject of sexual harassment is still of course a very timely and important issue. I had just been led to believe the movie was somehow larger than it was.
PS On a side note, one theme that struck a personal chord with me was that of a character who is a better parent than they are a person. That concept was portrayed especially artfully and honestly.
A comment I wrote to a friend who I hope will watch this film:
Would definitely recommend watching this - it's almost my second favourite film now probs... it's quite long but very good. I think what I like most about it is that no one probably walks away feeling the same thing & it actively works to flip things on its head. The film doesn't tell you how to tell how to feel & really leaves things painfully ambiguous which is honestly super cool to me!
There is one scene in particular that is a smashing hit to me... bc it displays the level of artistry on the screen. A single take - nearly 10 minutes & so many different angles and levels that the camera has to hit, well written lines. Also... just impressive, Cate Blanchett is actually playing the piano in it! (just a solid commitment to the craft that most actors do not have. Normally there's just a track inside the piano playing & they fake it.)
And a review in which I simply could not avoid spoilers:
Immediately, the audience is flung for a loop with the credits rolling at the beginning of the film from "least importance to greatest". So many people to credit to give us the entertainment far more than just directors, actors, producers.
Lydia Tár is a terribly egoistical and narcissistic wealthy conductor, who uses her high intellect as an intimidation technique. She is accustom to a certain lifestyle and the way the world revolves around her and her art. The script does a great job with its own intricacies and frankly confusing musical metaphors forcing us to feel much like Tár's own students! Cate Blanchett does a fantastic job at giving us the sharp and complex woman. The audience is left to determine the verdict of her guilt based on accusations and the fallout of her career and personal life.
Lydia: "How cruel of you to define our relationship as transactional."
Sharon: "There's only one relationship you've ever had that wasn't."
These lines were pivotal in my understanding of who Lydia Tár was and my own ultimate judgment on her character. As a final easter egg for the audience - throughout the film, Lydia is composing her own piece. "For Petra". Her daughter, and the relationship which Sharon refers... it is left unfinished in the film. Yet in the soundtrack, it is a finish work. I love that little touch!
The acting is phenomenal in this film! Blanchett clearly devoted herself to her homework and her craft for this role. Nina Hoss was incredible for such a small time on screen (unfortunately I heard many of her scenes were left on the cutting room floor! :( .) And Noémie Merlant gave such a vulnerability to a student and career woman in Francesca! I look forward to seeking out more films with both of the later women, and I am obviously on a Cate Blanchett film kick atm!
Amazing photography and camera movement, as well as Cate Blanchett, she nailed the character. The tension of the plot and the duality of the protagonist grabs you, but not for as long as the film lasts. Sometimes, less is more.
Mesmerizing film with so much to unpack. This is something that certainly warrants another viewing. Blanchett steals the show of course. I can see the content not working for a mainstream audience but for those who wish more from a film this one delivers.
Cate Blanchett is absolutely phenomenal in this film. She gives a truly mesmerizing performance as Lydia Tár, a complex and fascinating character. The film itself is well-written, well-directed, and beautifully scored. It's a must-see for fans of drama and music films
Very interesting character study of a leading conductor who is exceptionally brilliant, pretentious, hard, and manipulative but also tender when she decides to give herself to a moment or a person. Reminiscent of Whiplash, although slightly less accessible to average person. The film is overrated though, especially since I the ending was rush and not quite earned. I would recommend if you liked Whiplash and I would personally re-watch.
Boring and pretentious. It's not quite John Cage's 4′33″, but close enough.
In this case, the predatory genius is a woman.
I didn’t like the beginning (boring) and ending (weird & out of place). I thought the main story should’ve been more developed. Loved all the actors in it though.
This got absolutely rave reviews from most critics plus many A-list directors—to me, it's a pretentious hash of #metoo and #cancelculture. Although my favorite line (Tár to Eliot Kaplan) is, "Well, now I can buy my own plane tickets. And you can bother someone else to try and teach you to crawl to the podium." Dayum, girl! If the remainder of the dialogue had been as crackling and not 90% prevarication, it might have made for a more interesting topic.
Cate Blanchett as always shines brightly with her performance. But the movie itself is too long for my taste and boring for the story told. For a simpleton like me, a lot of the talking and debating about music related stuff bits were hard to follow, connect or even understand. Maybe for people more versed in this area can appreciate more the side stories and references. For the common person, imo, its not a a great movie
What on earth did I just see?! They seriously have to help us and clearly mark movies. When it's an art movie, they have to say it. Or when it's an artsy-fartsy movie. I want to avoid all the fartsy ones.
Very good movie I see their points of too many references for classical music but it distracts the regular person.
Cate Blanchett's performance was great. Just like in many of her other movies.
Other than that, I'm not sure why this dragged on for two and a half hours. There was no climax or anti-climax. It was just a journal of someone who is exceptionally talented in their filed of work living through life. She was doing great and everyone was rooting for her.... until one day, she was caught on video criticising Jews, and got cancelled. :rofl:
Interesting movie, not exceptional, but well acted and well realized. Its main weakness is a first half quite heavy and which could trigger some drowsiness, even if it is important to give the right meaning to the second half
I feel like this could've been done in 1h40min and it would've been even more compelling to me personally. However, compelling it is, and though lingering or drawing things out is something I often can't stand in filmmaking, I can get through it if the writing is good, and it is. Also, Cate Blanchett is immaculate in this. What a fantastic performance.
:heart:x6
This movie is long and heavy on the drama.
This is a story about a woman who was on the top of her game and through past indiscretions we slowly watch her decend the ladder of success she so painfully climbed up over the decades.
Blanchetts performance alone is worth watching this movie. Her performance is oscar-worthy.
How I rate:
1-3 :heart: = seriously! don't waste your time
4-6 :heart: = you may or may not enjoy this
7-8 :heart: = I expect you will like this too
9-10 :heart: = movies and TV shows I really love!
Fantastic performances and an interesting script, but ultimately I was disappointed in the movie's exploration of an admittedly touchy topic, as it felt shallow. For the first hour and 30 minutes, we get a taste of Lydia Tár's behavior, but the movie deals mainly in implications. Nuance lives in the details, so by showing only the surface layer of questionable behavior and only hinting at the more sinister elements, the audience is left with an incomplete picture.
For me, there was a critical disconnect in Tár's character midway through the movie. After "rotating" Sebastian, he accuses her of playing favorites in a way that implies inappropriate behavior. Tár is incredulous to the accusations, denies them vehemently, and even tells her wife that she hates the implication. Despite her denials, Tár seems to take the accusation seriously, as it ultimately motivates her to spurn her assistant, Francesca. However, within mere minutes of the accusation scene, Tár blatantly plays favorites with the new cello player in front of the entire orchestra. It feels like such a disconnect from the cold, calculating character that Tár was previously shown to be. It suggests that she is completely oblivious to how her actions are perceived, which is a further clash. In some ways, this potential obliviousness highlights the need for more details. If someone truly was that oblivious, then it speaks to the intent (or lack thereof) behind much of what she is accused. And while intent isn't the critical factor in determining guilt, it is an element of the story that adds nuance. Differences in perception are what makes these types of stories interesting, but this film doesn't ultimately explore that idea.
I have no words for this film except magnificent. And when I say magnificent, I am speaking about Cate Blanchette, Noémie Merlant and Nina Hoss. This is a masterclass in performing. In view of my speechless state, I defer to this excellent, comprehensive review https://youtu.be/5BsyCq0ZIHM. I give this film a 10 (magnificent) out of 10. [Drama]
Review by JordyVIP 8BlockedParent2022-11-15T16:09:05Z— updated 2022-11-17T23:12:54Z
This is fascinating, I loved every second of it. Such a brilliantly written script and Cate Blanchett’s performance deserves every possible accolade, Lydia Tár is one of the best characters I’ve seen in a long time. The way the film tackles pretension, artistic ego and achievement as a veil for perceived integrity, and the abuse of power that results from it really spoke to me. Should artists be held accountable or not? Should we seperate art and artist? What is the effect of cancel culture on art? These are questions I’m currently asking myself, as one of my own favorite artists made anti semetic remarks and alligned himself with highly questionable social movements just a few weeks ago, tanking his own career. I used to be firmly in the camp of seperating the two, but this movie made me reconsider that, which is quite an achievement. An achievement made all the more impressive by the fact that there’s no spoonfeeding going on here. The main character isn’t judged in an obvious way and Todd Field clearly wants you to draw your own conclusions.
Now, the script is super intricate, there’s a lot of technical mumbo jumbo in it. Having a background in music (and music theory) myself, I can honestly say that a lot of that stuff went over my head. I got the impression that parts of it were meant to be satirical, but still: you don’t need to feel stupid if you don’t have a perfect grasp on what all of that means, because it’s not the crux of the story. Your focus should be drawn to the journey of our main character, which is intriguing by itself. It starts out as a drama, but then incorporates elements of psychological thrillers as the film progresses. After the movie finished, I immediately wanted to go back and dissect how we’d gotten to the point where we end up.
The filmmaking is very Fincher-y: it’s cold, impersonal, distant, and it has some of the best one takes you’re going to see this year. It’s confidently slow paced, subtle and the director likes to linger on certain shots for a long time, which will inevitably lead to some of the general audience calling it '''''boring''''', even though it obviously isn’t. In fact, I can even see it winning Oscars in a few technical categories, it’s that exceptional.
9/10