I like to think I’m pretty well-versed in movie genres. I’ll watch pretty much anything and, although I may not enjoy everything I watch, I can always appreciate it. If there’s one genre that I’m always bound to enjoy, however, it’s the “unreliable narrator” genre. If you’re not familiar with the term, it basically means the main character can’t be trusted to relay information properly to the audience. For example, they may misunderstand or misinterpret something, leading the audience to have the same confusion. Or, they may start to see things that aren’t there that we, as the audience, also end up seeing. One example of this is the Netflix film I’m Thinking of Ending Things where aspects of the movie change as you watch, such as furniture, character ages, and even the clothing they are wearing. Tár is another excellent example of this. It follows a musician named Lydia Tár as her seemingly perfect life begins to fall apart. It’s clear from the start that Tár is troubled; she steals and misuses her wife’s medication, shows many signs of OCD, and feels extreme pressure from the world around her. This slowly accumulates throughout the film, leading to inexplicable scenes and what seems like a shadowy figure watching her at all times. There were several moments where I could’ve sworn I saw something on the edge of the screen and, when I replayed the scene, there was clearly something there that Tár and the other characters were not acknowledging. Because of this, the second act of the film reads much more like a horror movie than a drama, in my opinion. It kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time, struggling to decipher fiction from reality and trying to put the pieces together of what was actually happening during the story.
Tár was up for several Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Leading Actress, Best Cinematography, and Best Editing, among others. Although most of these were won (and deservedly so) by Everything, Everywhere, All at Once (EEAAO), I believe that Cate Blanchett should’ve won Best Actress for her performance in Tár. I know it’s controversial, and don’t get me wrong, I love the winner, Michelle Yeoh, and her performance in EEAAO. But much of Yeoh’s performance was acting confused and disoriented as she was thrown between universes and really only got to the gritty, down-to-Earth acting in the finale of the film. Blanchett, however, was electric every time she was on-screen. There were so many subtle physical choices she made that really sold her character, like the frantic flitting of her eyes even when her expression remained calm to imply her inner turmoil. There were also several long shots where she spoke for minutes on end, effortlessly weaving among the set and camera that displayed masterful acting. I understand that Yeoh winning the award is meaningful, as she was the first Asian actress to win in the category. That being said, if we’re going off of performance alone, I believe Blanchett should’ve had this one in the bag.
Tár is a very interesting film that really was not at all what I expected. It’s yet another one of those stories that I’m not really sure I fully understood, but I was completely enraptured with it and couldn’t stop thinking about it for days after. If you love a good unreliable narrator story (or are open to trying one out), I highly recommend checking this one out for yourself. It might give you a new appreciation for music – and have you questioning everything you see by the end of the film.
