Todd Field
Tar

I candidly confess that, when I went to see the film "Tar" by Todd Field, I found the beginning a bit daunting. In my mind, that neologism coined years ago by Renzo Arbore who, with an ironic tone, when having to critique some work, referred to it as a "mappazza", echoed. But then I had to partly reconsider because the film in question has stimulated me, among other things, to more adequately consider how demanding the work of an orchestra conductor really is. It can certainly bring satisfaction, but to achieve a good result one must work extremely hard, and perhaps the listener, comfortably seated in an armchair at home, does not fully appreciate it...

Indeed, it is a very demanding profession, as highlighted in the film where the protagonist Lydia Tar (played by a superb Cate Blanchett) is none other than the conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic and about to conduct Mahler's Fifth Symphony. For her artistic career, she would be an exemplary woman (a sort of female equivalent of Herbert von Karajan), if not for the fact that behind such a sparkling facade lies a woman in a position of power, not only devoted to her career but also a highly seductive and manipulative individual towards those she contacts for work. In her case, what is questionable is not so much her lesbian choice in sexual matters (she is married to the violinist of the orchestra she conducts and has an adoptive daughter), but rather her casual inclination to have sexual adventures with other women she relates to for work. She is certainly very enterprising in her private life, but in the long run, this libertine attitude will cause her problems. An assistant with whom she had a romantic relationship is discarded, triggering professional issues such that the rejected woman not only won't find other work opportunities but will think it best to commit suicide. The sordid story will surface, causing damage to Lydia Tar and starting her professional decline.

The film proceeds for a full two and a half hours and is at times very wordy (Lydia Tar is nonetheless a highly cultured woman who gives erudite interviews on the subject of classical music), as well as suffering from lengthiness in the second part where the protagonist starts to realize that she is in deep trouble due to the aforementioned romantic affairs and begins to suffer hallucinations and nightmares.

The undeniable highlight remains Cate Blanchett's perfect acting, which alone supports the entire film. Added to this is the fact that the character exemplifies fully how someone completely devoted to work can, however, fall into crisis if, in their private and sentimental sphere, they do not go beyond a meanness of spirit that harms others. And at that point, no matter how powerful one might be, a reckoning might befall them. Because, as rightly reminded in the Gospel, "do not do to others what you would not want done to you."