Tár, the recent classical music-based drama starring Cate Blanchett, has been an unexpected critical success: it has been nominated for six Oscars and, since its opening, has generated a steady stream of reviews and think pieces from almost every possible corner (although the reviews definitely skew from liberal publications). The New York Times has published at least nine different articles about it. The reviews go in every direction, with each critic claiming that the others have misunderstood the film. This is a curious thing for a film that is not all that interesting; parts of it are remarkably bad. Despite being billed as a thriller, its most harrowing sequences could have been lifted from an Audi commercial.
