🚀 go-pugleaf

Let's focus on the real victim in Todd Field's film _Tar_
first.  _Tar_ is a disgraceful hack job that dishonors
classical music.  It is as malicious and dishonest in its
smear job on classical music as the Juilliard youtube
clip heavily edited to slander Lydia Tar for sexual
harassment. Given the film's focus on Mahler's 5th symphony
in general and the sublime slow (fourth) movement in
particular, a honest "dialogue" would be to play that
piece at length to let the viewer judge whether classical
music is indeed "divine" and all those superlatives claimed
by the musicians.  Instead the film uses the barest slip
of the slow movement -- its very end -- which suffices to
leave even Cate Blanchett's smooth-as-marble operator Tar
shattered, her face crumbling into a heap for the only time
in the film.  There are plenty of chances to insert it
into the film.  It could also be played at the very end
(via the Thai orchestra, which would give the film a balanced
epiphany).  Or during the opening credits.  Instead we get
the most narcissistic movie opening ever, 4+ minutes of B&W
credits over a pretentious choral chant, pointedly devoid
of instrumental accompaniment.  Field must really hate
classical instrumental music, and thinks really highly
of his snide put-down.

Now back to Cate Blanchett.  Her Tar is shown to be a fake
through and through (even her upbringing is invented).
What is the point of getting us to watch her for 2+ hours
(she is in every scene) but deny her any discernible human
truth?  Blanchett's Tar seems so superficial; it is all
a performance.  Unfortunately, that is also Blanchett's
MO in a nutshell; she can do the external stuff to a fault
but little seems to come from inside her.  Her first scene
with wife Nina Hoss is particularly telling.  Hoss is about
46 in real life and Blanchett 6 years older according to
the imdb, but the German has aged so gracefully; the lines
in her face channel her energy inwards, towards somewhere
deep.  There is nothing inwards for Blanchett. I wrongly
thought she has turned the page after _Knight of Cups_,
that she has grown into a more soulful actress.  You can
argue that's the way the character is written, although
it would be a failure of the writing.  Compare also with
Jessica Chastain.  Elizabeth Sloane in _Miss Sloane_ is
no less intellectually imposing and verbally brilliant
than Lydia Tar, but Chastain makes her brilliance so
organic and immediate; there is no lag time, she doesn't
have to think, it all flows out of her.  In _355_ (an
inferior film to be sure), Chastain spars with a fighting
partner and afterwards she is so out of breath we can't
hear her lines.  Tar spars too, but genuine panting
moments never occur (except after the rehearsal of the 4th
movement).  She is the real robot she keeps accusing
everyone else of becoming.

Other than the amazing Nina Hoss, the highlights of _Tar_
are the Sophie Kauer character, and the use of the Berlin
Philharmonie.  Kauer is a real-life cellist, not an actress,
but she comes off so natural -- her poor posture, hungry
appetite, fresh energy, and all.  Not even Field's constipated
directing can corrupt her.  And it is nice to see the
Berlin music cathedral again.  I once sat there, among
rich old German bankers and their young beautiful Russian
companions while listening to Anne-Sophie Mutter play
Vivaldi.  So yes, there is a lot of fakery and commercialism
in classical music alright, but there are also the real deals ...
AS Mutter is an incredibly beautiful and graceful woman,
but when playing the violin she is none of those things.
She becomes a force of nature, her face incredibly contorted
as she wrings the last drop of power from her 1710 Strad.
For a very brief moment Blanchett seems to achieve that,
but she could have done so much more.