TÁR (2022)

The critic hails the film as chilly, severe, distancing yet utterly captivating, with formidable filmmaking intelligence. Blanchett’s spellbinding, Oscar-worthy turn as the sociopathic conductor is the standout element.

The critic calls it a thrilling, dense portrait that goes far beyond a simple take on cancel culture. Blanchett's commanding performance as the spiraling conductor is highlighted for its gravitas and control.

The critic hails the film as an immersive event and indelible portrait of intellect waylaid by privilege. Blanchett's bewitching performance as the cruel narcissist conductor is singled out for its depth and intuition.

The critic deems it a masterwork and essential granular character study of a complex powerhouse, singling out Blanchett's career-best, perfectly modulated performance that commands respect without judgment.

The critic calls it the bleakest and funniest film about systemic sleaze since Promising Young Woman, praising Blanchett's outdoing performance as the flawed maestro and the film's nuanced take on power and abuse.

The critic hails Cate Blanchett at the peak of her powers in a magnificent cinematic symphony that respects audience intelligence. Field's clarity and rigor in imagining the character's inner and outer worlds, along with his mastery of cinematic time, are singled out for praise.

The critic finds Todd Field’s film a gripping, brilliant masterpiece despite its rarefied classical-music milieu. Blanchett’s mesmerising central performance as the monstrous conductor is singled out as perhaps the season’s first truly irreplaceable star turn.

The critic calls the film phenomenal and magnificent, praising its masterly direction that mirrors the protagonist's slippery genius and the electrifying central performance.

The critic praises the film as a mesmerizing character study and a major work from Todd Field. Blanchett's astonishing performance as the flinty, self-possessed conductor is singled out as the key talking point.

The critic hails it as a film of rare and wild excellence with chilly virtuosity in style, performance and ideas, calling Blanchett's imperious turn stellar and the film essential cinema that intelligently handles cancel culture and ethics.

The critic hails the film as superb and electrifying, singling out Cate Blanchett's towering performance as one of the most memorable fictional characters in recent cinema.

The critic describes a glorious monster of a film with a weighty portrait of crisis and scandal, praising Cate Blanchett's giant, Oscar-worthy performance above all.

The critic praises the ambitious film as worthy of applause for its full-fat exploration of artistry, highlighting the care in building Lydia’s character and the transporting, virtuosic orchestra scenes.

The critic deems it a total knockout that is austere and dryly hilarious, impossible to separate from its lead performance. Blanchett's intense, awful, and awe-inspiring portrayal of the ego-driven artist is singled out for its richness.

The critic finds the film a rare prestige awards contender that doubles as a genuine art film, with Field's direction creating an insinuating and enigmatic narrative. Blanchett's committed performance as the flawed conductor is highlighted alongside the film's meticulous research into the classical music world.

The critic calls it the work of a master filmmaker, a ruthless but intimate tale of art, lust, obsession, and power that immerses viewers like a thriller through precise and authentic detail. Blanchett's ferocious performance as the conductor is highlighted as a study in power, passion, and entitlement.

The critic calls the film the funniest horror film of 2022 and praises Blanchett’s best performance in years as an unforgettable character. Field is commended for showing the haunting of Lydia Tár rather than her abuses directly.

The critic praises the film as a fascinating, fleshed-out portrait of a tremendously troubling woman. Blanchett is singled out for blazing brightly in a commanding performance that captures both musical authority and vindictiveness.

The critic calls it a chilly, timely backstage drama in which Cate Blanchett stars as a world-famous conductor heading for a fall. Field's ruthless detachment and fanatical control are praised as he moves from dry comedy to gothic horror while convincingly portraying the protagonist's musical genius and personal flaws.

The critic notes that the film can't quite decide if Tár's comeuppance is tragedy or joke, with absorbing orchestration in parts. Blanchett's look-at-me acting style undercuts a fully human portrayal of the conductor.

The critic calls the film considerably thought-provoking for adventurous arthouse crowds, with Cate Blanchett exceptional in an enigmatic character study. The film’s refusal to clarify its stance on its complicated heroine is noted as a strength.

The critic deems the film regressive, taking bitter aim at cancel culture and identity politics while presenting its protagonist as a victim of false attacks. Despite Blanchett's skillful performance, Field fails to forge dramatic unity in a disjointed series of scenes.

The critic praises Blanchett's masterful performance as the core of the film, highlighting the nuanced portrayal of power and ego in a long runtime that allows for deep character exploration. They single out the organic way secrets and power dynamics are revealed through performance rather than exposition.

The film creates an exceptionally detailed portrait of a promethean artist eventually hoisted on her own petard. It offers an absorbing high-end drama about a brilliant female conductor, with Cate Blanchett delivering a dazzling performance.

Todd Field’s drama is a razor-sharp character study that puts Cate Blanchett at her peak in a showcase for her fiery performance. It engages playfully and provocatively with hot-button topics while observing the protagonist’s fall with eerie calm.

The critic calls the film riveting for its exploration of power and privilege, crediting Todd Field with creating a believable world and character. Blanchett delivers a virtuoso, note-perfect performance as the brilliant yet self-absorbed, manipulative conductor.

The critic highlights Blanchett's stunning performance in a dense, forensic examination of elite artistic life and the cracks in a cult of personality, praising the unexpected ending and the film's nuanced take on talent, ethics, and cancel culture. They single out the master class scene and the pacing shift in the second half.

The review highlights Blanchett’s tour-de-force turn as the ego-maniacal, bullying maestro whose downfall narrative gains edge from its focus on a queer woman. The elliptical structure and point-of-view add compelling ambiguity around the charismatic anti-hero.

The critic calls it a timely and timeless piece about the corrupting essence of power, elevated by a hydrogen bomb of a performance from Blanchett at her best since Carol. It notes some blemishes, including a grating Juilliard scene, but praises the nuanced character study.

The critic sees it as a slow-burning tragic downfall tracking Tár's changes of fortune, with a Cate Blanchett masterclass at its core. It praises the magnetic performance and Kubrickian unease but notes occasional monotonous interludes and failure to say anything novel about cancel culture.

The review commends the film's moody depth in depicting the slow unraveling of a powerful but flawed conductor, praising the subtle exploration of power, grooming, and cancel culture without simplistic judgments. It singles out the measured approach to revealing Tár's past misdeeds and the leaden impact of her fall.

The critic describes the film as a heavy, precise and angry manual on how to hurt people, wrapped in sleek corporate clothing. It praises the bravura performance by Blanchett and the music but complains that Tár remains a construct that does not get under the skin.