Lydia Tár (Cate Blanchett) understands the power she wields — and the power she doesn’t — in an atmospheric teaser for “TÁR.” The Venice Competition title appears to be the tense, claustrophobic character study of a woman composer-conductor who has made it to the top of her male-dominated field.

“Time is the thing. Time is the essential piece of interpretation,” Lydia says. “You cannot start without me. I start the clock.” She also has the power to stop time whenever she pleases. “The reality is that it’s not until I once again decide to raise [my] hand that time is allowed to continue, marching along her very merry way,” she informs us.

Although Lydia calls the shots in the music she creates and in the orchestra she conducts, she is not in control. The spot features a sequence in which she frantically covers her bare floor with records — which all seem to be by male composers. Her relationship with her partner (Nina Hoss, “Phoenix”) and child is strained. She is being buried under the pressure of her position and the long shadow of the artists who came before her.

“TÁR” also stars Noémie Merlant (“Portrait of a Lady on Fire”) and cellist Sophie Kauer. The film’s music is by Hildur Guðnadóttir, who received an Oscar for composing the score for “Joker” in 2020, becoming the first woman to win in that category since 1997.

A seven-time Oscar nominee, Blanchett took home statuettes for “The Aviator” and “Blue Jasmine.” She counts “Don’t Look Up,” “Nightmare Alley,” and “Mrs. America” among her more recent credits. Next, she’s narrating the Netflix fantasy pic “The School for Good and Evil,” premiering October 21.

“TÁR” opens in select theaters October 7 and expands nationwide October 28.