Year: 2012
Director: Paul Thomas Anderson
Country: U.S
Language: English
Paul Thomas Anderson is one of the greatest living American directors to grace the screen. His films, which include Boogie Nights and There Will Be Blood, have been regarded as modern masterpieces. Though his newest film The Master was released a seemingly long 5 years after his universally acclaimed There Will Be Blood, it seems Anderson has not lost his midas touch.
The Master involves a man named Freddie Quell (Joaquin Phoenix). Returning from Navy service in World War II, he drifts through a series of PTSD-driven breakdowns. Finally he stumbles upon a cult which engages in exercises to clear emotions and he becomes deeply involved with them.
The Master marks the return of Joaquin Phoenix from a self-imposed acting break. He plays his character, a man who is experiencing excruciating pain and mental trauma from his wartime experiences, quite brilliantly. The way Phoenix portrays Freddie's pitiful, perverted mental state is quite disturbing, yet you'll find yourself absolutely fascinated. Can anybody play a broken man better? Philip Seymour Hoffman is also outstanding in the role of Lancaster Dodd , nearly stealing each and every scene he is a part of.
What is this film about? It's difficult to say. No easy answers are given, many questions remain mysteries, and we never get a firmly grounded sense of reality. Anderson keeps us aimlessly drifting through the narrative. Some scenes are linked, others are not. Many events are ambiguous. Like 2001: A Space Odyssey, this film that is needed more than one viewing to fully understand it. There is the possibility that this is a film that cannot be understood.
In conclusion, while The Master is a curiously mysterious film, there is no doubt that it is a technically superb film with incredible acting by the entire cast. Though many viewers will likely have difficulty immersing themselves in the film without the typical sense of narrative progression and character goals, it will definitely capture the attentions and fascination of many other viewers and critics. The Master may not be Anderson's easiest film to grasp, but it certainly is full of emotion and great character studies. 3.5/5
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