After making modern classics like Magnolia and There Will Be Blood, the arrival of a Paul Thomas Anderson film is kind of a big deal, especially after a five year wait. Finally arriving amidst a cloud of Scientology-related publicity and feverish excitement from critics, The Master is a stunning American epic that will alienate as many as it enraptures.
Though the film draws inspiration from Scientology leader L. Ron Hubbard, it would be wrong to dismiss it as ‘that Scientology movie’. Anderson only uses that as the basis for a much broader film whose themes are debatable but delves beneath the idyllic exterior of 1950’s America to expose a society of disenfranchised young men struggling with the demons of World War II.
Struggling more than most is Freddie Quell, played by a career-best Joaquin Phoenix as a man both physically and mentally twisted, wandering from job to job, getting into fights, screwing around and poisoning himself with his home-made liquor.
After his paint-thinner hooch poisons a migrant worker, Freddie escapes onto the luxury yacht of Lancaster Dodd (Phillip Seymour Hoffman) aka. The Master, charismatic leader of a cultish religion named The Cause. Dodd believes that the Earth is trillions of years old and people carry the pain and trauma of past lives and that ridding someone of that burden can cure anything, even cancer. What better test subject and potential poster boy for these methods than drunken, volatile Freddie?
In keeping with the majority of Anderson’s work, The Master deals with father-son, surrogate family themes as Dodd quickly becomes a father figure to the unstable Freddie and in turn, Freddie becomes protective of his mentor. When a naysayer engages Dodd in a debate at a high society party, Freddie reacts by flinging fruit at the man like a frustrated chimp.
This central relationship and the performances from both actors are crucial to the success of the film and when they are both on screen together, the film really crackles. Their dynamic is fascinating and layered; at times they seem like father and son, master and pupil, loving friends, bitter enemies or any combination of these at once, sometimes even bordering on vaguely sexual territory. Though Freddie is a feral creature, riddled with extreme tics and uncontrollable urges, he is at least an honest and sincere person which is the counterpoint to Dodd, a man whose methods are driven as much by ego and vanity as a genuine belief in his ever-changing theories.
The film’s highlight comes at the first “processing” session as Dodd rigorously questions Freddie in a riveting display of cult indoctrination and an acting masterclass from both men, enough to illicit goosebumps as you watch two heavyweight actors going head-to-head.
Doing well not to get lost amidst these two towering performances is Amy Adams as Dodd’s latest wife Peggy, suppressing her inherent sweetness in favour of a sly turn with hints of Lady Macbeth.
Though these characters are rich and Anderson and his actors make their confrontations hugely cinematic, The Master is sure to confound many with its lack of a conventional hero or villain. Neither Freddie nor Dodd is the kind of man you’d typically find yourself rooting for and here they both shift from protagonist to antagonist multiple times throughout.
There also isn’t a clear, traditional narrative. The film hops from one endlessly fascinating scene to another, deeply exploring the characters without ever really driving the story forward. Occasionally it even appears to jump forward large chunks of time without being entirely clear what happened in the mean time, as if a section is missing. Essentially the plot isn’t important here but the lack of forward motion begins to tell and the film begins to lose momentum as it crosses the two-hour mark.
Despite this, the majority of The Master is absolutely mesmerising with every scene stunningly composed by Anderson and his cinematographer, regular Coppolla collaborator Mihai Malaimare Jr. Anderson also brings along Johnny Greenwood as composer and his twitchy, agitated score is the perfect soundtrack to Freddie Quell’s character.
Though Anderson’s gaze is zoned in on the relationship between two strange and compelling individuals, The Master feels massive with many depths that are sure to be discussed for years to come. There will be many doubters but this is sure to be a film that over time may well be talked about as one of the greatest of all time by one of the most vital filmmakers of his generation.
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