Diksha Sundriyal
Directed by Todd Field, ‘Tar’ follows the story of Lydia Tar whose life is derailed after a series of events that unmask her true nature to the world. The film stars Cate Blanchett in the lead role and gives us a complicated character who has been shaped by their surroundings and corrupted by power. A lot of information about Lydia and her past is given to the audience subtly. Several pieces of the story are placed in different places, and the audience has to bring those pieces together to see the full picture. The same happens with the character of Krista Taylor. If you want to find out who she is and what happens to her in the film, then we’ve got you covered. SPOILERS AHEAD
Krista Taylor’s Impact on Lydia Tár
While Krista never appears in the film, her character proves to be the most impactful in Lydia Tar’s story. Much like Francesca, Krista was an aspiring conductor, who caught Lydia’s eye. Considering that Lydia was already a big name in the business, Krista believed that having her as a mentor would give direction to her career. What she didn’t realize was that Lydia’s intentions went beyond furthering her career. Lydia had an eye for young talent and she would use her position of power to get such promising young women under her wing. Then, she would groom them and have a sexual relationship until she found another promising artist to mentor.
Lydia had been doing this for a while and she knew that the girls that she left after using were in no position to harm her. It would be her word against theirs, and because she is a reputed personality in her field, no one would believe a newcomer’s allegations against her. She did the same with Krista, but things got more complicated when Krista decided not to go down without a fight. It could also have been that Krista became emotionally invested in her relationship with Lydia and when their relationship came to an abrupt end, she struggled to accept the idea of letting go of Lydia. This only made Lydia lash out, leading to the unraveling of both of their lives.
The Tragic End of Krista Taylor
Seeing that Krista was not going to let go of her easily, Lydia became concerned about the impact this would have on her personal and professional life. She would be ruined if the news of her affair with Krista came out and it would also mean an end to her marriage with Sharon. Before Krista could come forward, Lydia discredited her by painting her as an unstable girl who was fixated on her. She sent a mail to everyone, discouraging them from hiring Krista. Due to her reputation in the field, everyone took Lydia’s words seriously and Krista’s career ended even before it could begin.
As things got worse for her, Krista got even more desperate. She reached out to Francesca to try and get a word with Lydia to reverse the damage that was done to her. While Francesca felt bad for her, she couldn’t do much, because she was in no position to challenge Lydia’s authority. Failing on this front, Krista tried to reach out to Lydia herself. She sent her a book and even broke into her house, but she couldn’t change anything.
Realizing that nothing was going to change and that her career was as good as dead, Krista found herself unable to cope with the reality of her situation. She couldn’t speak out against Lydia, because her reputation was already ruined and no one would even listen to her, let alone take her words seriously. Whatever she tried to do would only feed into the narrative of an unstable person, as created by Lydia. This helplessness leaves Krista with no other option but to take her life.
Lydia had hoped to keep a distance from Krista since their break-up, but courtesy of the emails saved by Francesca, the truth comes out. Everyone discovers the true nature of the situation and it turns out that Krista was not the only one victimized by Lydia. The girl’s parents sue Lydia and fight for justice for their daughter.
Read More: Is Tár Based on a True Story?
