5 reasons why Todd Field (‘Tar’) can upset at Oscars for Best Director

With the 95th Academy Awards steadily approaching, the Best Director race (one that many awards prognosticators believe is all but locked for Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert for “Everything Everywhere All at Once”) may provide one of the evening’s largest surprises. While The Daniels’ trajectory seems to point them directly to Oscar gold, a potential upset is lurking around the corner, with six-time nominee Todd Field in the prime position to reap the benefits for his work on “Tár.” Here are five reasons why Field can upset at the 2023 Oscars for Best Director.

1. The academy loves him.
Field is already an academy favorite, with three previous nominations under his belt: Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay for 2001’s “In the Bedroom,” and Best Adapted Screenplay for 2006’s “Little Children.” This year, Best Picture, Best Director and Best Original Screenplay citations for “Tár” cements his prestige pedigree, and firmly sets him aside as one of the academy’s star players, especially when it comes to the 2022 season. Could he finally be rewarded with a golden statue?

2. “Tár” overperformed in nominations.
Most pundits were expecting “Tár” to receive noms for picture, director, actress and original screenplay, but the recognition in editing and cinematography came as a pleasant surprise, and a potential show of faith. In the past, films with this set of nominations are strong contenders for Best Picture and Best Director. “Nomadland” received the same listings, minus a swap from original screenplay to adapted screenplay, winning three Oscars, including Best Director for Chloé Zhao, while “The Power of Dog” collected the same notices within its 12 nomination haul, winning for director Jane Campion. This points to huge support above and below the line. Field could follow in Campion and Zhao’s footsteps, riding his film’s critical acclaim to a huge win.

3. Cate Blanchett is a frontrunner to win Best Actress.
Since its premiere at the Venice Film Festival, the one area where “Tár” garnered unanimous praise and support was in lead actress for Blanchett, portraying the titular Lydia Tár. A two-time Oscar winner for “The Aviator” (supporting, 2004) and “Blue Jasmine” (lead, 2013), Blanchett has remained a major force in the Best Actress race, remaining out front for most of the season. All eyes are on her, which means all eyes are on Field’s direction. As brilliant as Blanchett is, it would be remiss for voters to not acknowledge the masterful direction behind her skillful performance. She’s currently neck-and-neck with Michelle Yeoh (“Everything Everywhere All At Once”) in Gold Derby’s odds.

4. There hasn’t been a director sweep this season.
Though The Daniels are perceived as the frontrunner(s) in the Best Director category, they haven’t achieved a clean sweep. While they have won at the Critics Choice Awards and the Directors Guild Awards (a major bellwether for the Oscar), the pair lost at BAFTA (to Edward Berger, director of “All Quiet on the Western Front,” who is not nominated at the Academy Awards) and the Golden Globes (to Steven Speilberg for his work on “The Fabelmans”). In addition to his director nomination at the Oscars, Field has received bids at the DGA, BAFTA and Critics Choice, as well as a slew of regional critic groups. He took home the prize at the Los Angeles Film Critics Association, which has a solid correlation to the Best Director Oscar, with previous winners including Campion (“The Power of the Dog”), Zhao (“Nomadland”), Bong Joon Ho (“Parasite”) and Guillermo del Toro (“The Shape of Water”). If voters feel that “Everything Everywhere All at Once” has the potential to be “over-rewarded” on Oscar night, they may shift their vote to another critical favorite, and hand “Tár” the Best Director award.

5. This is his return to form.
After a 16-year hiatus, Field’s return to cinema was long awaited. After his previous success with “In the Bedroom” and “Little Children,” the 2021 announcement of his third feature film was met with much excitement. Known for gripping dramas with superb casting choices, the inclusion of Blanchett seemed like a match made in heaven. In true Field fashion, the film deals with complicated issues, such as grooming, workplace misconduct and infidelity, and though the film is precise and calculating in discussing these themes, Field’s direction never seems heavy handed, but instead, appears perfectly executed. This is exactly what fans of his previous work were craving, and is a great introduction for new Field enthusiasts to latch onto. If there were to be one place to recognize “Tár,” especially if the academy were to favor Yeoh over Blanchett, why not award an auteur director at the top of his game?

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