Movie Review: “Tár” (2022)

Sound plays such a large role in our lives as humans. It is all around us, yet most of the sound that we experience every day is never noticed nor considered. We pay attention to the loud noises that interrupt our train of thought or cause our eyes to find the root of the sound. Todd Field’s “Tár” pushes us to pay attention to the sound that moves around us, no matter how subtle or direct it may be. 

This critically acclaimed film was screened on CU Boulder’s campus as part of the International Film Series (IFS) in January. This program is run by the Department of Cinema Studies and Moving Image Arts and screens multiple movies each week right on campus in the Muenzinger Auditorium. 

The main character, Lydia Tár, played by Cate Blanchett, is a composer and is extremely sensitive to sound. She is often distracted from writing her own music by sounds that interrupt her quiet, controlled life. 

Doorbells, loud knocking, pen clicking and unidentifiable sounds in the car all interfere with the perfect world of sound she has curated. 

The movie begins with a rare occurrence; the first thing the audience witnesses is nearly all of the credits, which are normally placed after a movie finishes. The credits are also in reverse order, with smaller roles of the behind-the-scenes members in the movie shown first and the larger roles like film editor and director appearing last. This was not done by accident.

The deliberate choice to show those who are usually forgotten first speaks to how it is easy for those higher up in the arts industries to let their egos get the best of them, or even to dismiss the importance of the roles of everyone involved in a project. 

Lydia Tár conducts an orchestra in Berlin and is working towards a professional recording of Mahler’s 5th symphony. Tár idolizes Mahler and strives to be like him – she even recreates a cover of one of his symphonies as if to symbolize her connection to him. This orchestral recording would be the last in the cycle of Mahler symphonies, and is supposed to be the peak of Tár’s career.

Recording this cycle is all that Tár can think about and it takes over her world. She is a well respected individual in the music community and takes pride in that. As accusations of Tár sexually harassing previous students come into light, her world begins to slip from her fingers. 

Small sounds around Tár continue to disturb her, causing her to have immense difficulty sleeping. There are many scenes in which she is lying awake at night and has to hunt down the pestering sounds from around her home, like the fridge humming and a metronome ticking. 

Earlier in the movie she explains in an interview that as a conductor she is like a metronome. She controls time. The metronome seems to have come back to haunt her. These sounds and Tár’s intense reactions to them help foreshadow the deterioration of her career and life. 

Lydia seems to have flown too close to the sun, as viewers watch her career spiral downwards and important figures in her life disappear. Whether or not the accusations are true, she is suddenly unable to control her life, and this is seen through the sound design and camera movement.

There are more loud noises that are out of her control, such as the disturbance from construction sites in New York and sitting near the busy streets of Southeast Asia. “Tár” presents a story of power within the art community and how one’s control, or lack of it, could ultimately lead to their downfall. 

Cate Blanchett dominates the screen for the entire 158 minutes of this movie. Her presence is powerful and demanding, causing viewers to latch on to her prowess. She was an Oscar  nominee for the Best Actress In a Leading Role, and the movie itself was nominated for five more Oscars: Best Motion Picture, Directing, Original Screenplay, Cinematography and Film Editing.

Although the Oscars tend to just be a popularity contest and don’t necessarily have any bearing on the quality of a movie, it’s still an impressive feat. The 95th Academy Awards ceremony will be on Mar. 12, 2023, when viewers will be able to see if “Tár” becomes a critically acclaimed film.