I believe that people in positions of authority should be held accountable for their actions. I believe that terrible people can make miraculous art. I believe that people studying an art form have an obligation to understand and engage with the full history of that art form, even when it's made by people who identify very differently from them. I believe that 99% of people accused of misdeeds are guilty to some extent of those misdeeds. I believe that there are many people who seek to avoid engaging with complex ideas and perspectives that challenge them and make them uncomfortable. I believe that everyone is guilty at times of making sweeping generalizations about others. I believe that there are positive things we can learn from people who might be terrible in other ways. I believe that both people participating voluntarily in a transactional relationship bear responsibility for the outcomes of that relationship. I believe that people are incredibly complex and can be many things at once. I believe we live in a social media world that more and more doesn't want to acknowledge that and wants to be able to smack an easy meme and label on everything.

What does "Tar" -- the movie, not the character -- believe? Maybe all of the above. Maybe none of the above. The beauty of "Tar" is that it raises a host of complex questions but doesn't force any answers on the viewer. This is a movie made for adults that lets us think for ourselves. A lot of people are interpreting it as an examination of cancel culture. I can see why, though that isn't how I primarily interpreted it. I don't think it's as much about the rights and wrongs of cancel culture as much as it's about our complicated relationships with artists and the art they create. The movie isn't exclusively about Americans, but the writer and director Todd Field is, so I think it's also about how the only thing Americans enjoy more than turning someone into an unrealistic hero is to rip them apart when they fail to live up to our expectations.

This is a movie I cannot stop thinking about. I didn't love it, though I liked it a lot. There's something slightly cold about it, so while I enjoyed the intellectual rigors of it, I didn't feel very emotionally involved. I started to feel its length as it moved into its final scenes. But I can't think of a movie I've seen recently that makes me want to talk to someone about it as much as this one, and that's got to be worth something.

Nothing needs to be said about Cate Blanchett other than that she is magnificent.

Grade: A.

I've been craving a truly great, sophisticated drama lately and this movie gave me everything I've been looking for. Great acting, great writing, great directing & just an overall expertly crafted film in every sense. Cate & Todd are at the top of their game here and it's simply beautiful to watch. Highly recommend watching this in a theatre if it's playing anywhere near you. This movie is gorgeous enough to watch on the big screen.

This movie really just has a lot of emotion that's been missing from movies these days. I think a lot of people are really glad that movie theatres are back after two years of lockdowns and mandates, but there's been so much great stuff coming out that's made being a movie goer exciting again. Tar is an excellent movie theatre experience.

Greetings again from the darkness. I seriously doubt that I'll ever skip a Cate Blanchett movie. She's won two Oscars and has been nominated six times. She's consistently the best part of her movies, and often the best in a full year of movies. Here she stars in the first film in 16 years from the remarkable writer-director Todd Field. His two previous films, LITTLE CHILDREN (2006) and IN THE BEDROOM (2001) combined for eight Oscar nominations, and more importantly, established Mr. Field as a rare and unique filmmaker of great depth. Having Field reappear and cast Blanchett generated a heap of excitement from this film nerd.

Ms. Blanchett stars as Lydia Tar, a piano virtuoso, the conductor of the famed Berlin Orchestra, and a true musical genius. She's a rare EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony) from the classical field. Her music (and her life) is a quest to uncover/discover what the composer meant with each piece. Lydia is sometimes rough on her wife Sharon (Nina Hoss), but frequently dotes on their young daughter ... while otherwise living a relative selfish and self-centered life. We also see this true persona in how she treats her young assistant Francesca (Noemie Merlant), who quietly aspires to become a conductor, while efficiently keeping Lydia on track each day.

The film begins with "New Yorker" writer Adam Gopnik interviewing Lydia as a stage presentation in front of a live audience. It's his introduction of the Maestra where we learn her background and the proficiency that has garnered her such respect (as well as jealousy and animosity). Throughout the film, many real musicians (past and present) are referenced, and that detailed research is alone enough to earn respect for what Mr. Field has accomplished here. The stress and laser-focus on Lydia as she prepares for the final symphony in her Mahler portfolio (his 5th). We witness the meticulous detail that goes into managing the music and musicians, and this leads to handling the dismissal of veteran who is slipping, and the addition of a brilliant young cellist named Olga (Sophie Kauer). We are never quite sure if Lydia's attraction to Olga is limited to her skills with the bow.

Of course, any perfectionist at the top of their industry is subject to backlash and criticism. Is Lydia abusive? Is she exploitive? It seems the answers may be affirmative, and likely what drives her art. It's quite discomforting to watch as she covers her tracks after the suicide of a former pupil, but I'll admit to a certain feeling of satisfaction as she verbally spars with another student over gender semantics ... actions that of course come back to bite her.

Ms. Blanchett is fascinating and mesmerizing to watch. She is at the top of her game playing a perfectionist who is at the top of her game. However, it's clear this film isn't likely to strike the right notes with mainstream audiences. It's an arthouse film about art, and thus is filled with dialogue and much less actual music than you might expect for a film about a world class Orchestra conductor.

Opens in theaters on October 21, 2022.