Oscar nominee profile: Todd Field (‘TAR’) hopes to make good on his directing comeback

Just when it seemed like “In the Bedroom” and “Little Children” writer-director Todd Field might never make another feature film, he announced that his 16-year hiatus would conclude with the 2022 release of “TAR.” The biting character study, which Field conceived at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, has now brought him some of the best notices of his career, including his first Best Director Oscar nomination. He now belongs to an elite group of individuals who have achieved academy recognition for producing, directing and both adaptive and original writing.

Field’s competitors in this year’s directing race are Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert (“Everything Everywhere All at Once”), Martin McDonagh (“The Banshees of Inisherin”), Ruben Ostlund (“Triangle of Sadness”) and Steven Spielberg (“The Fabelmans”). Spielberg is the only category veteran in the bunch, with eight previous nominations that led to a pair of victories for “Schindler’s List” (1993) and “Saving Private Ryan” (1998). Most of the remaining contenders are Oscar newcomers, but McDonagh has picked up several past bids as well as a Best Live Action Short win for 2004’s “Six Shooter.”

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“TAR” stars eight-time Oscar nominee Cate Blanchett as Lydia Tar, a highly accomplished yet tremendously egotistical orchestra conductor whose meticulously-maintained life starts to fall apart when her history of professional misconduct comes back to haunt her. As her connections to the few people she cares for begin to fray and she is forced to spend more and more time alone, it becomes increasingly more difficult for her to maintain her grip on reality.

Academy members demonstrated a clear affinity for “TAR” by nominating it for six Oscars, including Best Original Screenplay and Best Picture. Both of those bids are also attributed to Field, who shares the latter with spouses Scott Lambert and Alexandra Milchan, who recently co-produced the Apple TV+ limited series “Black Bird.” The film is also up for Best Cinematography, Best Film Editing and Best Actress, with Blanchett seeking a bookend lead trophy after initially nabbing one for 2013’s “Blue Jasmine.” She also won Best Supporting Actress for 2004’s “The Aviator.”

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Field previously received adapted screenplay nominations for “In the Bedroom” and “Little Children” as well as a producing mention for the former. After his first film was bested in both races by “A Beautiful Mind,” his second lost on its writing bid to “The Departed.” If his first Oscar win turns out to be in the directing category, the 59-year-old Field will be the 10th oldest recipient of the award as well as the third oldest person to win it on his first directing nomination, after Clint Eastwood (62, “Unforgiven,” 1992) and Richard Attenborough (59, “Gandi,” 1982).

This article is a part of Gold Derby’s “Oscar nominee profile” series spotlighting the 2022 Best Picture nominees.

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