Thursday, April 4, 2013

The Master

The Master - Dir. Paul Thomas Anderson (2012)


"Good science by definition allows for more than one opinion. Otherwise, you merely have the will of one man which is the basis of cult."

Paul Thomas Anderson's The Master can be easily summed up through a sequence in which Joaquin Phoenix and a group of fellow sailors on shore leave gather around a woman sculpted from wet sand. Phoenix proceeds to vigorously hump the facsimile to the amusement of his comrades. But, as he continues, their laughter turns to awkward chuckles and hushed horror. The Master is enthralling, confounding, and the most enigmatic picture Anderson has made to date. Yet, you can never look away.

Phoenix plays Freddie Quell, an extremely troubled man who has just been discharged from the Navy. Though most would see Quell's service during WWII as the cause of his problems, it's likely he's always been mentally disturbed. Quell only yearns for the basest of needs: drink and sex. His addiction to alcohol is so strong that he's willing to drink anything including paint thinner, photo-chemicals, and missile fuel. Quell seems to have no place as a civilian after being fired from his job as a photographer and chased off a cabbage field by migrant workers. He stows away on a yacht where he meets Lancaster Dodd (Philip Seymour Hoffman), a self-proclaimed renaissance man who fancies himself as a doctor, philosopher, author, and educator. He leads a movement known as The Cause whose followers refer to Dodd as 'Master.' His beliefs will change the world and better all of mankind. In Quell, Dodd sees the infallible validation of his work, for if he can cure Quell, he can cure humanity itself. One of the best sequences in The Master sees Dodd grilling Quell with a series of questions during an exercise called "processing."

Much has been made about Anderson basing The Master on L. Ron Hubbard and the formation of the Church of Scientology. While Dodd is clearly inspired by Hubbard, The Master could hardly be considered an exposé on the origins of Scientology. Instead, Anderson uses those concepts as a springboard to explore the symbiotic relationship between Dodd and Quell. This is a different take on the father-son dynamic than what was explored in Boogie Nights and There Will Be Blood. There are times when Dodd disciplines Quell as he would a dog, by chastising him while screaming, "Naughty." Quell certainly behaves like an attack dog when he assaults and threatens anyone who criticizes Dodd, including Dodd's own son, Val (Jesse Plemons), who looks upon his father's work with ambivalence.

On the surface, Dodd portrays the refined intellectual, but he is hardly as evolved as he believes. He'll unleash a profane outburst should he be questioned as one loyal follower (Laura Dern) unfortunately discovers. When he's around Quell, Dodd indulges in simpler pleasures, drinking his protégé's noxious concoctions and laughing at his fart jokes. If Quell is pure id and Dodd the ego that would make the latter's wife, Peggy (Amy Adams), the superego. Peggy comes off as the doting wife in the public's eye, but behind closed doors, she is the true power of the Cause. She literally has her husband by the balls, manipulating him through sex.

The Master is sparked by three powerhouse performances from Joaquin Phoenix, Philip Seymour Hoffman, and Amy Adams, all of whom were nominated for Academy Awards. However, it was largely ignored in every other category. Not surprising since The Master is a tough nut to crack. Anderson deploys an unconventional narrative that builds to an ambiguous ending that some may find infuriating. Personally, I found it to be an enriching and though provoking experience, a story that is masterly told.

Rating: **** (*****)

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