"The Master"
Animals can grow into tricky,
complicated creatures if they become domesticated from the wild. Pets can
be warm, tender, and loving towards their masters one minute and then vicious,
snarling, uncontrollable beasts the next. Owners of animals want to teach
their furry friends new tricks to impress their friends. By doing this it
shows that their cuddly critters are loyal can be reformed into something much more
refined and manageable. This is exactly how Lancaster "The
Master" Dodd (Philip Seymour Hoffman) treats Freddie Quell (Joaquin
Phoenix) in the latest project, The
Master from writer/director Paul Thomas Anderson.
World War II is over and it is
time for Freddie to return to the United States since his services in the Navy
are no longer needed. It's not easy living on land and working at a
traditional job. Freddie is having a hard time acclimating himself back
into everyday life and society. The sandy beaches, the salty air, the rush of sea
water against his naked body, pleasuring himself whenever he sees fit, and rough
housing with his Navel buddies is what this dog, I mean man, really pines for. in life
Prior to enlisting for duty, Freddie was already kind of screwed up in the head
from his troubled past and since the war ended, just about all of his screws have
come loose.
Running from one odd job to
another our main character finds himself a stowaway aboard a ship occupied by
Lancaster, his family, and his workers. What line of work is Mr. Dodd in
you ask? He is a man of faith, of healing, and of help. Lancaster believes
in finding the cure for whatever ails you lies not within prescription medicine,
but through hypnosis and as well as expansion of the mind and body. What a
complete load, right? Maybe to some, but for others, Dodd's healing
powers are wondrous. Lancaster sees Freddie as a special case to test his
methods upon. If all goes to plan, Freddie's combative, sexually
aggressive, and overall untamable nature could be The Master's greatest
achievement of his career.
Like all of Anderson's films, The
Master is a richly complex and intensely satisfying character
piece. The performances he gets from Hoffman and Phoenix are certainly
Oscar worthy. I've not seen the personification of a dog as exhibited by
Phoenix featured in a film like this before. He is incredible to
watch. His mentality and physicality are completely in tune when
channeling Canis lupus familiaris. It's been five years since we've
seen anything from either Anderson or Phoenix. The two of them working
together on this picture is something special. You can see the work that
both men have put into creating, developing, and then bringing forth this
unique character to the screen.
The working relationship that Anderson
has with Hoffman continues on as we are entranced in the power and authority
that is seen in Lancaster Dodd. What sort of motivations are truly the
forces behind what drives his character? Is The Master here to truly help
people and do his methods really work? Or is he here because his religion
is a business, and like any business it is fueled by profit. This is
what's welcoming about The Master.
Anderson and his actors aren’t exactly
spelling anything out for us. Much of the film is left up to our own
interpretations and explanations. Be careful folks, The Master is
a thinker. I was able to find sufficient answers to questions the film
poses, but I think upon a second or third viewing I would get even more out of
it.
Impressively acted, handsomely
photographed, unconventionally scored, and innovatively written, Paul Thomas
Anderson's The Master is an engrossing piece of work. This is the
type of film that will leave you feeling exhausted due to scene after scene of
exceptional method and quality filmmaking. Anderson and his actors give
us a film that is so uncompromising in its vision with themes and
ideas that permeate through the characters and their actions. When going
into a Paul Thomas Anderson film expect the unexpected and relish in the fact
what you're seeing on screen is a real treat. The Master doesn't
leave its audience sitting in the dog house.
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