Best Motion Picture – Drama – Nomine
A famous conductor prepares to record Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 5. That the conductor is the head of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra would not in itself constitute the makings of a fascinating story, but in this case, the composer-conductor is female. And she has secrets.
Lydia Tár is the first-ever female music director of a German orchestra and one of the very few women in that position worldwide. She operates and lives in rarefied air, in that space between fame and money, with her art on one side and a settled lifestyle on the other. She is in a relationship with Sharon (played by German star Nina Hoss), who is also a member of the symphony, and together they raise an adopted daughter. Tár is a complicated and complex character, caught between the present stresses of being an artist and a past she desperately tries to hide in the new #MeToo era, where a queer woman with allegations of sexual misconduct and abuse of power does not stand a chance of career survival. She broke a glass ceiling and now has everything to lose. As the character is consumed by the mystery behind the creation of Mahler’s 5^th symphony, so is the viewer by the mystery of this woman’s life.
Cate Blanchett plays the title character without worrying about being liked, as a fiercely driven perfectionist with moral flaws and a mostly cold demeanor. Her passion is there, at the conductor’s stand, her pride visible even when the damage caused by her actions threatens to destroy her.
Todd Field, who wrote and directed the film, conceived the story after a 16-year absence from filmmaking. His goal was to balance the volatile nature of Mahler’s composition with the upheavals in the main character’s life. The film was shot on location in Berlin. It world-premiered at the 79^th Venice Festival in September, where Blanchett took home the Best Actress Coppa Volpi.
Tár is nominated for three Golden Globe Awards – Best Drama, Best Actress – Drama and Best Screenplay.