Tár (2022)

I was surprised to discover that this is not based on a true story or, indeed, any preexisting thing. It also is a primarily American production and attaches no importance to the protagonist's nationality. So why pick such an uninformative title that could easily confuse English speakers, especially if presented in a format that doesn't support an accent? That factor may have contributed to me waiting this long to check out the Best Picture nominee.

The story begins with Lydia Tár (Cate Blanchett) at the peak of success as chief conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic, citing Leonard Bernstein as inspiration. Alas, as a major concert approaches, one thing after another goes badly. Tensions rise between her and her wife (Nina Hoss), her secretary (Noémie Merlant), her assistant conductor (Allan Corduner), and pretty much everyone else except her daughter (Mila Bogojevic). On top of that, she develops physical and especially mental issues, including apparent hallucinations.

It's not sheer bad luck, of course. Lydia brings on most of the conflicts by not taking others' feelings into account much. I don't really blame her for not noticing her often arrogant tone -- sometimes I agree with her position and appreciate her eloquent delivery -- but disloyalty is definitely on her. By the third act, she can very well be a deliberate jerk. I still feel a little sorry for her, not least when she's met with spurious accusations that aim to cripple her career.

Two early scenes include long shots with little more than Lydia talking, once in an interview and once at a Juilliard lecture. This struck me as unusual, and while they didn't bore me, I worried how long the movie could maintain the practice without doing so. Thankfully, the rest isn't like that. On the minus side, the pace continues to accelerate beyond what I consider a happy medium, such that the ending confused me until I checked online.

When Lydia's alone and highlighting her private problems, the genre almost shifts to thriller. We just don't get the sense of imminent danger to her. The R rating is clearly not for violence so much as profanity and a couple nude scenes no more tantalizing than in Nomadland. The other arguably adult aspect is a moderate amount of spoken German, much of it unsubtitled.

It makes sense that such a feature would make little money at the box office, even for a relatively anemic period. But 158-minute length and questionable directorial decisions notwithstanding, I admire Tár, largely for its writing. It really does feel like a biopic, and any fiction that could pass for fact takes skills.