E15 Tár is not as smart as it thinks it is

Tár is about a super important and revered conductor (EGOT, principal conductor for the Berlin Orchestra, blah blah) named Lydia Tár (Cate Blanchett). She’s one of those tightly wound type-A people who want everything to be perfect and expects those around her to make it that way. She comes off as a tightly wound narcissist and really only shows pure emotion toward her daughter, Petra, whom she shares with her wife, Sharon (Nina Hoss), the orchestra’s concertmaster. Slowly, over the course of the film, you begin to realize that Lydia abuses the young women around her, stringing them along with promises of career advancement so she can enjoy them sexually or just take advantagement of their time and talent. Her personal assistant, Francesca (Noémie Merlant) puts up with a ton of crazy shit in hopes of becoming assistant conductor someday. Her wife ignores her affairs with other women because she likes being Lydia’s right hand woman … her confidant and trusted advisor. One woman, Krista, who we only ever see from behind and in Lydia’s anxiety nightmares, apparently stepped out of line and suffered dire career consequences as a result. When she commits suicide and accusations surface, Lydia spirals downward and loses all the prestige she worked so hard to gain.

Other shit you should check out:

• Richard Brody's review in The New Yorker
• Todd Field's screenplay