'TÁR' film review: Engrossing character study captivates from its first note to its last

Cate Blanchett captivates in the provocative 'cancel culture' drama 'TÁR' (opening in additional cities nationwide Oct. 21).

In short: Lydia Tár (Blanchett), widely considered one of the greatest living composer-conductors, prepares a much-anticipated live performance when her personal life collides with her professional life. Noémie Merlant, Nina Hoss and Mark Strong also star.

Like all reviews on this site, this review will be as spoiler-free as possible - specifically because writer-director Todd Field's latest film is almost entirely defined by its deliberate, thoughtful character and story reveals. If at all possible, 'TÁR' is best experienced when the audience goes in as cold as possible and enjoys it in a theater with a killer sound system.

It's difficult to summarize the film's plot or themes without giving the game away - and what makes 'TÁR' so compelling is the slow burn reveal of all the pieces. This is an intriguing take on power dynamics and talent, crafted into a story that feels especially timely now. And what makes 'TÁR' exceptional is its defiantly anti-melodramatic direction - this is a tumultuous period in one artist's life, told in small movements. 'TÁR' is a layered, complex character study that focuses in on seemingly innocuous moments in her life to define the titular character by her actions, not merely by her accolades.

Cate Blanchett's towering performance is pure nuance as she embodies a larger-than-life musician manipulating the politics of orchestral music, navigating the trappings of celebrity, the artist's struggle to create and trying to balance family and fame. This film does not attempt to make Lydia Tár sympathetic or overtly arch - if anything, the film steps back to observe Lydia Tár as an brilliant artist with incredible influence and power ... and simply chronicles how she uses both her talent and station. For example, one brief scene follows the world-renowned, award-winning classical conductor as she interacts with a child - one of her daughter's classmates. The scene itself is relatively short and has no bearing on the overall plot - yet it's the perfect, singular distillation of Lydia Tár.

If there's any justice in the world, this sharply crafted screenplay will earn Todd Field his third Academy Award nomination for writing. The dialogue is impeccable, capturing Tár's pure charisma but also the carefully chosen words spoken by all her colleagues and subordinates. To be clear, Lydia Tár has no equal in this story - and the script delights in her ego and is steeped in a careful reverence everyone else has for her. The screenplay meticulously drops breadcrumbs into her past relationships, subtly reveals her current machinations and weaves together an absolutely captivating character study. All the seemingly innocuous moments inform the audience of Tár's inner character and all the larger, plot-related scenes slowly increases the film's tension. And because it must be noted - the script has a quietly wicked sense of humor and the film's ending moments are perfect and hilarious.

'TÁR' is unquestionably a masterclass in acting, writing and direction - however casual filmgoers might balk at the film's methodical pacing and atypically long runtime of more than two and a half hours. This film asks the audience to have a lot of patience as Tár's story slowly unfolds. Long, dialogue-heavy scenes sometime seem not to go anywhere - but each seemingly innocuous scene is an individual brushstroke in this complex character portrait of an artist and abuser. Make no mistake, this is a challenging film - but it's layers of rich subtext make 'TÁR' oh so rewarding - and difficult to stop mulling.

Final verdict: Anchored by an engrossing performance, accentuated with wonderful dialogue and a brilliantly composed character study itself, 'TÁR' is an essential film of 2022.

Score: 4.5/5

'TÁR' opens in additional theaters nationwide Oct. 21. This dramatic comedy has a runtime of 158 minutes and is rated R for some language and brief nudity.