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Cate Blanchett. © 2022 Focus Features, Standard Film Company, and EMJAG Productions. Directed by Todd Field.
Watched it on Blu-Ray
Vizeit Film Awards Nominee (4 Nominations Including "Best Motion Picture Film") Get To Know The Greatest Female Conductor/Composer In Modern Music History. The world of musicians is staggering but no one can beat the great conductor who is redefying music. Unless she goes crazy and ruins her reputation. That's what Todd Field explores in his new latest film after years without directing a feature film. But that wait is over and it was worth the wait. This is his magnum opus and this film is very psychological from start to finish. It may not be for everyone but with the captivating lead performance and beautiful direction, this is an interesting film for every cinephile, filmmaker, and music student. Let's journey into the mind of Lydia Tár. Story: Renowned musician Lydia Tár is days away from recording the symphony that will elevate her career. When all elements seem to conspire against her, Lydia's adopted daughter Petra becomes an integral emotional support for her struggling mother. But she's also facing accusations of her recent past and the future of her symphony group. This film was tense and entertaining from start to finish. The opening is quite interesting which may throw off some audiences which is understandable. But when the real film starts, it gets way more interesting and it fiddles with some interesting subject matters. There are a lot of moving parts within its dialogue but it doesn't focus on the plot rather focuses on the protagonist trying to deal with her personal life and career. It's the downfall of her career which starts with the amazing one-take scene of Tár explaining the artist vs the art itself. It's a beautiful and well-constructed scene that explains how today's art including cinema culture has changed. You can cancel someone in real life but you can't delete their work because it changed cinema or another art form. But the person can be a douchebag so it's reasonable. Back to the scene, it's brilliant because it explores how students are reacting to the truth and with Tár being lesbian, it's more stronger with its message. Her teaching is raw and wants the best for everyone. Good thing she ain't Gordon Ramsey. Tár herself played by Cate Blanchett is fantastic. Her performance really carries the movie and she brings a lot of energy during her dramatic scenes and emotional weight to the film. Watching her from just trying to enjoy life into destroying her life is pretty dark and sad. The human struggle of her trying to face a new society, facing death, and haunting past. Plus she is facing the darkest sides of her career and it's very haunting during those scenes she is facing. Even in the small moments, you can witness her being uncomfortable during a moment. Little moments like these make the character much grander and the experience quite interesting. The cinematography is very great and I liked the still shots a lot. The color palette seemed to be changed from the previous edit but it still looks great in capturing Tár's emotions. The production design is pretty great and I really loved the score in this film. But I have mixed feelings about it. Besides that, the directing is very strong in this film. I really loved how he stays within the conversation of these characters like normal but with fewer cutaways. Todd Field makes it clear that he wants to give a tense tone that will make Tár more uncomfortable and make her crazier as possible. I really loved the hallway tunnel scene. I thought that scene was so well directed and it's the breaking point of Tár. There is a lot of symbolism and interesting themes presented in this film on the main title character but that will be for another time. Overall, it's a strong film that explores a downfall, the psychology of having art over life, and the cautionary tale of real-life events and subjects that make this film worth a watch. There are some critiques I would like to give as usual. The runtime was fairly long and it was a bit draggy right in between the middle and third act. Could've cut the less important scenes. I was a bit lost during some of the conversations in the film but it quickly paced back up with a dramatic scene. I wish we could've got more of the daughter relationship with Tár and the family together. A few story nitpicks but it was still a very interesting film. I really enjoyed this tense film that explores the psychological state of an artist and the world around her. It's very theme heavy and it's haunting at certain moments. I was really captivated by Cate Blanchett's raw performance and I can see her winning an Oscar. It's a well-written drama with a fantastic lead performance, simple yet sleek cinematography, and seeing a video game cameo in a film is not what I expected from this arthouse film. Now Streaming on VOD and available on 4K/Blu-Ray. Vizeit Score: "A-" (Share this review with your film friends and on social media! Thank you for your continue support.) Copyright © 2023. Vizeit Studios. All Rights Reserved. Review Written By: Everardo Garcia Jr.
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