The Master

A master without a disciple is like a film without an audience. Lancaster Dodd (Philip Seymour Hoffman) and Freddie Quell (Joaquin Phoenix) need each other. The charismatic Dodd underpins the ideology with which his sect The Cause wins over souls the way Quell, a troubled, extremely fiery WWII veteran brews drink: with spit and glue, and plenty of paint thinner. Don’t wait for The Master to explode before you start having fun. There will be no blood. This time, Paul Thomas Anderson’s film does not culminate in one (or more) majestic scenes that blow your socks off. But it is premature, during the end credits, to bemoan not having being overwhelmed. The Master isn’t finished with you. Days, even weeks later, this film by the director of Magnolia and Boogie Nights still haunts you. And for different reasons every time. Sometimes it might be the inspired performance from Joaquin Phoenix that doesn’t let you go. The way he makes you share in Freddie Quell’s tortured soul and makes his incomprehensibility tangible. Another time, you’ll suddenly remember some of the many lyrical images of America in the 1950s, occasionally accompanied by Jonny Greenwood’s score that has started living a life of its own. Then you’ll be brooding on the bigger picture: both the master-student or father-son conflict that has preoccupied Anderson for years, like exploring a country’s psyche. Other times you’ll conclude that the film is rich in content and themes but cannot be reduced to one message or vision.

At the end of the day, it is the total package (including the dash of pomposity) that astonishes you. At the moment, I am most enjoying the little victory Quell ultimately wins over himself and his master: it is inconspicuous and one might question whether it does him any good, but he attains liberation and it forms the one spot of light in this bitter, dark story. But I am already looking forward to the next flashback, and to the second viewing of this fascinating film.

The Master ●●●●
US, 2012, dir.: Paul Thomas Anderson, act.: Joaquin Phoenix, Philip Seymour Hoffman, 143 min.