I Loved Tár Despite Being Too Stupid to Understand It
Sometimes I have no idea what characters are talking about, and that's okay.
“Based on this script’s page count, it would be reasonable to assume that the total running time for Tár will be well under two hours. However, this will not be a reasonable film. There will be tempo changes, and soundscapes that require more time than is represented on the page, and of course a great deal of music performed on screen. All this to say, if you are mad enough to greenlight this film, be prepared for one whose necessary length represents these practical accommodations.”
-Todd Field’s epigram in Tár’s screenplay
Adam Gopnik of the New Yorker introduces us to Lydia Tár (Cate Blanchett) via her prestigious résumé. Lydia Tár is “one of the most important musical figures of our era.” She has worked with the United States “big five” orchestras in Cleveland, Philadelphia, Chicago, Boston, and New York.
As Gopnik explains, “Tár became known for championing contemporary composers. Seeking commissions from the likes of Jennifer Higdon, Caroline Shaw, Julia Wolfe, and Hildur Guðnadóttir.”
If you’re anything like me, namedrops such as Jennifer Higdon, Caroline Shaw, Julia Wolfe, and Hildur Guðnadóttir fly way over your head. Programming contemporary works “alongside composers of the canon” suggests that Lydia is unperturbed by people's perceptions of her, “with Tár quoted at the time as saying, ‘These composers are having a conversation, and it may not always be so polite.’”
Indeed, Lydia Tár is not concerned with politeness. One quickly ascertains that Lydia Tàr is a bounty of expertise, animated by a profound passion for her craft. She takes her work, and herself, very seriously.
Tár and Gopnik proceed to have an in-depth conversation about the intricacies of the classical music genre. They discuss Tár’s mentors, composers she admires, Tàr’s reverence for the composers' original intent, and the way she goes about interpreting their compositions in her work as a conductor. The scene runs for over fifteen minutes and much of the conversation’s content eludes me.
When it comes to classical music, I know jack shit. However, I found listening to Tár rhapsodize about her craft enthralling despite not being able to grasp the particulars. Here is a film that refuses to hold my hand through the unfamiliar landscape of classical music composition. Instead, the film asks me to make educated inferences as it forges onward.
Tàr has an affinity with Mahler, a composer that I’ve never heard of. Her goal is to conduct all nine of Mahler’s symphonies, his entire cycle. She has recorded eight, only Mahler’s fifth remains. Tàr says of Mahler’s Fifth:
“for this one it’s really about trying to read the tea leaves of Mahler’s intention. We know a great deal about this with the other symphonies. He was so inspired by the poetry of Rückert that for many years he didn’t set another author to music. But all this changes with the Five. The Five is a mystery.”
I do not know Mahler’s work. I am unfamiliar with Rückert, Mahler’s primary poetic inspiration. So when Lydia says of Mahler’s fifth:
“The only clue he leaves us is on the cover of the manuscript itself. The dedication to his new wife, Alma… so if you’re going to partner with Mahler on his fifth symphony, the first thing you must do is try and understand that marriage.”
Well, I’ve no choice but to take her word for it. Luckily, Cate Blanchett’s remarkable on-screen gravitas lends credence to everything Lydia Tár says.
Like Mahler’s Fifth, the essential clue to understanding Tár lies on the manuscript's first page, “this will not be a reasonable film. There will be tempo changes.”
With Tár, it may be useful to consider writer/director/producer Todd Field’s intent. The screenplay’s epigram suggests an interdisciplinary approach to the film that infuses the cinematic experience with the sensibilities of classical music composition.
Even though discussion of classical music pervades the film, Tàr is, perhaps unsurprisingly, primarily interested in its eponymous subject. This is a character study whose thematic content is of greater importance than the content of its conversations. It is a nuanced exploration of fame, success, power, accountability, and issues of identity that languishes in moral ambiguities. Viewers are allowed to make their own judgments and reach their own conclusions.
Engaging with Tàr in a rewarding fashion requires audiences to be comfortable not knowing, both in terms of the film’s content and its narrative structure. You must trust that you are being led by a capable conductor. It is a film that is bound to enrapture some and alienate others.
With the film’s erudite opening interview, I am plunged into the uncharted waters of classical music. I may be in over my head. Yet I am reasonably secure that I’ll eventually resurface with whatever pearls I’ve managed to grasp. I find passion infectious, even when the topic exceeds my knowledge. I am content to be swept away by curiosity.
Some viewers may be stymied by the wall of words that constitute the film’s protracted opening scene. I think that is by design. You might opt to watch something else and honestly, I wouldn’t blame you.
Ultimately, Tár requires audiences to engage with the text on a figurative and thematic level. Viewers that are willing and/or able to meet Tár on its own terms will find flashes of brilliance throughout the film, more than enough to justify the lengthy runtime. For viewers inclined to interpret the film’s text literally, Tár will probably read as the pretentious story of a woman whose noisy appliances inhibit her ability to get a good night's sleep.
Whether you love or hate Tàr, Cate Blanchett gives a commanding and commendable performance. On that, I think we can all agree.
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