"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: **** (*****)
