The Master

My rating is more of a 4.5Thanks for reading!𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝙘𝙖𝙣'𝙩 𝙩𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙡𝙞𝙛𝙚 𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩, 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙮𝙤𝙪?.The Master is a 2012 American psychological drama film written and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson and starring Joaquin Phoenix, Philip Seymour Hoffman, and Amy Adams.Freddie Quell (Joaquin Phoenix) is a troubled, boozy drifter struggling with the trauma of World War II and whatever inner demons ruled his life before that. On a fateful night in 1950, Freddie boards a passing boat and meets Lancaster Dodd (Philip Seymour Hoffman), the charismatic leader of a religious movement called the Cause. Freddie tries hard to adhere to Dodd's weird teachings and forms a close bond with his mentor, even as other members of Dodd's inner circle see him as a threat.Centralized around a traumatized veteran who is attempting to reintegrate back into peacetime society, one of the primary influences for ‘The Master’ is a documentary made by John Huston called ‘Let There Be Light (1946)’. This film was produced while Huston was serving in WWII himself, and was made with the intention of educating the public about PTSD and the various ways it can be treated; Its unprecedented use of completely unscripted footage of individuals exhibiting symptoms of this condition is one of many reasons why the release of this documentary was suppressed from the public until approximately 40 years after its completion. In terms of relevancy – Huston's work had a significant impact on ‘The Master’s set design and costume direction, making it periodically authentic and an accurate reflection of the time period reflected.Dutifully committed to the aesthetics, ‘The Master’ was also shot on 65mm film so as to replicate the look of photos taken by Vintage Pressman cameras. Consequently, the results are scenes that look timeless with immaculate gradients, and otherwise normal shots (like one in which waves are shown - a repeated Motif throughout) are nothing short of awe-inspiring and brilliantly crisp.Needless to say, this connection viewers to the next question – is ‘The Master’ based on a true story?Put plainly: Anderson pulled inspiration from a variety of not-so-obvious sources such as earlier drafts of his script for 𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝑾𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝑩𝒆 𝑩𝒍𝒐𝒐𝒅, stories told to him by Jason Robards whilst on the set of 𝑴𝒂𝒈𝒏𝒐𝒍𝒊𝒂, and the biographical narrative of famed author John Steinbeck. Despite Anderson clarifying endlessly that his fascination with the post-war era acted as the primary propeller for this particular story, the apparent influence of cult-like personas has also made ‘The Master’ a target for those anxious to suppress its overarching messages. More specifically – a book entitled ‘Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health’ was a source referred to often conceptually and is written by none other than Ron Hubbard: the founder of the Church of Scientology. Overt connections have been denied previously by ‘The Master’s production company, but what can't be disputed are its coincidences (like Dodd's transition to residency in England happening around the same time Hubbard's happened in real life) that dangerously toe the line and make it an easy target for controversy or complaints.Despite its reputation as one of Anderson's most refined pieces of work, ‘The Master’ is also one of his more ambiguously written. With many scenes depending on improvisation and atmospheric direction as opposed to straight-laced instruction the performances enclosed are driven by both intuition and a humbly composed gravitas. Phoenix's delivery is on par with the psychologically complex nature of one that is mentally perturbed and uniquely vulnerable, but the standout by far is the portrayal of Dodd by the late Hoffman (RIP); the eccentricity of his beliefs rise to the surface at opportune moments, but what could be an exploitive or mockish depiction is logically constrained. Consequently, this makes for an accessible story as opposed to a completely unapproachable or easily dismissible one.(Sort of a #funfact, up until he was 3 years old, Phoenix’s parents were members of the religious cult called Children of God [Now known as ‘The Family’] but left after becoming opposed to this cult’s increasingly distorted rules; it was also around this time they adopted the surname Phoenix [which was previously ‘Bottom’] to encapsulate what would be a “new beginning” for their family. I can’t speak on whether or not this had an influence on Joaquin’s performance but…#Themoreyouknow )Remarkably, ‘The Master’ succeeds in making the dynamics of cult-like activity and leadership both the elephant in the room in the main attraction. It neither villainizes or idolizes, and instead utilizes an empathetic lens while trusting audience members to draw their own conclusion: albeit theoretically or empirically defined.What is ultimately left standing could segue into conversations about a perfectly turbulent storm with indoctrination at its eye and the exploration of values, meaning, and a deeper search for purpose perpetually at its helm. Luckily for casual viewers, the impact is escapable.

An amazing movie it’s one of my favorites.

Excellent movie. Philip Seymour Hoffman, as usual, is great!

I believe The Master is possibly Paul Thomas Anderson's best film; and it is definitely tied for me with "There Will Be Blood". That said; many people are critiquing it on the basis of having a "meandering plot" or a story that goes nowhere. I think these people are looking at it the same way someone might be looking at atonal music for a Romantic, soaring anthem. Good luck finding it. The Master is a different form of filmmaking to be sure.It is a much more abstract film than anything Anderson has done and more complex. The film relies on subtext that is buried under the characters rather than an intense plot. The intensity, instead, is transferred to the characters, the cinematography, and the texture of the music. If you find Freddie Quell and Lancaster Dodd compelling; if you wonder about their similarities throughout the film and what makes them different, what pushes and pull them then you will be eating up every frame of this film. The film doesn't give easy answers or resolutions. By the end you are left with open-ended questions: what did Freddie get from Dodd; what did Freddie learn and is Dodd truly a master or is he as broken as Freddie? There are so many interpretations and impressions.The film's music and cinematography is, again, a character onto itself; it is crisp, well-framed and bold. The juxtaposition of the clean, precise and somewhat detached camerawork, the color and sumptuous design of the sets, the smoothness of the editing and the larger-than-life performances of Phoenix and Hoffman are truly awe-inspiring. One gets an impression that fire has been captured as they strut and gesticulate about in Anderson's framework.Perhaps my favorite thing about Paul Thomas Anderson films is that the answers may appear hidden but often everything is in plain view: Daniel Plainview in "There Will Be Blood", for instance, in one scene reveals his mistrust of humanity and his misanthropic nature. Freddie Quell, concurrently, in one scene tells Lancaster Dodd he killed people in the war; in the beginning of the film we know he has PTSD from combat, and he goes on to tell Dodd he may or may not have slept with his aunt. I believe war and incest may be enough for someone to try and bury their past in a torrent of alcohol as he does, yet I hear so many reviewers complain that the film-making was not direct enough or did not reveal enough about him.I don't see a failure there; I see a divergence of taste. To me, personally, it's far more compelling to see hints of a character's past but not totally reveal him. Why turn the lights all the way up; why reveal everything? There is something to be said of mystery.It's a disservice to us and the nature of this universe to think there's a written law to everything that makes the human heart the way it is.If not. Then there's always The Hunger Games.