Paul Thomas Anderson returns to the big-screen after a five-year wait with The Master. The film stars Joaquin Phoenix, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Amy Adams in a film that showcases yet another overlooked side of the United States’ maturation; its rise and recovery following World War II.
Since its first public announcement in 2009, The Master has become synonymous with Scientology due to the parallels made between its founder L. Ron Hubbard and Hoffman’s character Lancaster Dodd or The Master as he is known to his followers. Anderson acknowledges that Hubbard’s colourful life was a source of inspiration for the film, yet he states that this isn’t a biopic. This is made evident by the focus on Phoenix’s character of Freddie Quill; an alcoholic, horny short-tempered ex-serviceman whose harrowing time in the navy has led to his roaming around the American West Coast before finding ‘The Cause’, a philosophical movement headed by The Master.
Freddie’s journey takes him a long way from the blue Pacific he sailed during his Navy days. Freddie comes across all manner of post-war America life; from a bustling California department store to the domestic cosiness of the Philadelphia suburbs and the vast deserts of Arizona. The beauty of each location is revealed with typically stunning cinematography, with rich colours striking the eye and constant juxtapositions between moments of isolation and intimacy for the characters. The film also provides intriguing moments where the distinction between the Freddie’s reality and fantasy is hard to recognise.
There are fine performances all around from the cast as each injects further intrigue into a story that is as much disturbing as it is interesting. Freddie’s past traumas are openly discussed with The Master as he tries to turn him towards The Cause and the effect of his ordeal is made evident by his strange behaviour and violent outbursts. The Master refers to Freddie as a wild animal that is in need of guidance, which is a goal Freddie simultaneously resists and aspires to throughout the film. Phoenix embodies this indecisive soul, showing the world an almost permanent scowl of contempt while mimicking the hand-on-hips stance of authorative figures like his former commander General MacArthur. On the surface The Master seems to be a superior man to Freddie, bounding with charisma and dictating the mood of every room by his presence usually in a jovial manner, however The Master himself is not immune to primal, albeit more eloquent, reactions to threats in the world. Amy Adams plays the supporting role as The Master’s wife Peggy Dodd. She heads the followers committed to The Cause, whose friendly and polite community is based on their disturbing lack of perspective beyond their ideology.
The Master is a subtle follow-up to There Will Be Blood, Anderson moves away from his explosive masterpiece of material greed and desire to focus instead on how the yearnings of the characters mix with their attempts to find a greater meaning either in themselves or for all humanity. This leads to a film fraught with ambiguity which can frustrate at times, with questions about events prior, during and after the film remaining unanswered, which is in keeping with the spirit of the story.
8/10
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