Out of tune.

I RECENTLY watched Tar, a film by Todd Fields which has garnered a lot of Oscar buzz for Cate Blanchett's portrayal of Lydia Tar, a classical conductor whose past catches up with her. Many aspects of the film have the internet divided - from interpretations about the final scene, to why the film was two hours 38 minutes long - but everyone agrees that the movie is about Tar's spectacular downfall. (I will do my best to avoid spoilers.)

Tar is a fictional character but seems oddly familiar, especially given how so many powerful folks' wrongdoings in the entertainment industry have been exposed since the Me Too movement. Except that in Blanchett, we see a woman abusing her power and then losing it due to 'cancel culture' - though I liked how Dan Kois in Slate says, 'maybe it's just justice'.

That cancelling comes in the form of a video from an event at a university, where Tar humiliates a student of colour who says he's not interested in the misogynist Mozart. The exchange shows how little regard Tar has for opposing opinions or for the time we live in, where public opinion matters more than engaging in dialogue. Of course, the video - edited to suit one perspective - goes viral, as does a story in a tabloid claiming that Tar groomed young women. Tar's sense of invincibility begins to crumble. Her being the recipient of the EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony award) becomes irrelevant against this backdrop of public calls for retribution.

Many reviewers have said the movie is about cancel culture and Me Too, and while I agree with both assertions, I also think it is about the person understanding they have to face the consequences of their actions. Too often we hear protestations of innocence from the powerful; claims their words/actions were taken out of context, or victim blaming. I believe Tar is unable to escape her past any longer and ultimately realises how she took advantage of the power dynamic. She can't escape the crudity of her actions, or all the ghosts of her past. It is an uncomfortable watch but it's a remarkable performance by Blanchett, who depicts Tar's fast unravelling with aplomb.

In many ways, 'Tar' reflects the hypocrisy of free speech advocates.

Tar is unlikeable from the get go. She is manipulative, abusive, mean - to colleagues, her partner, children - and you're unlikely to feel any sympathy for her. Still, we don't really know what the allegations against her are other than the aforementioned article, yet she falls...