Does it feel strange still to be talking about Tár?
Cate Blanchett: Some things don’t ever leave you. This has been fascinating from the moment of inception, through making and releasing it and now watching people’s reaction to the film deepen and evolve. It’s very rewarding.
Todd Field: Yesterday, a woman came up and talked to me about the movie for maybe 25 minutes. She had seen it nine times.
CB: We all have our rapid-fire set of judgments when things first come out. I think people were quick to define what the film was, but the way it’s distilled has been really interesting. Todd’s made a great film that stands the test of time. It’s not a film that’s necessarily of the moment. It feels quite ancient, I think.
In what way?
CB: We knew from the get-go that’s not for us to talk about. Part of the challenge of persuading people to see it in the cinema is that you end up sort of reducing the film by saying, say: “It’s an examination of power.” That feels quite reductive to the actual experience of watching it.
