It's almost criminal that Paul Thomas Anderson makes us wait so many years between films. A true cinematic genius at the height of his powers, his films bear the hallmarks of many who refuse to do what's easy or comfortable. Much like his Oscar-winning There Will be Blood, The Master is at once intimate, profound, extraordinary, and flawed. While many will come expecting to see Scientology raked across the coals, The Master is more a deeply personal character study of broken men desperately seeking their place in an unfamiliar world.
In his first film since taking his disastrous "sabbatical", Joaquin Phoenix gives a performance so complete, so unnerving that you almost forget this is the same guy we've known for years. He plays Freddie Quell, a deeply disturbed and shell shocked WWII Navy vet who finds himself in a world that doesn't really have a place for him. Alcoholic, sex-obsessed, and reckless with his own life as well as others, Freddie's internal ugliness seems to have affected him on a physical level. His speech is barely intelligible, spoken through a half frozen face that hints at a possible stroke or Belle's Palsy. A misanthrope of the highest order, he seems to not care about anyone or anything. The only thing that matters are his most carnal desires. Freddie is the antithesis of the post-war ideal of the victorious homecoming hero.
Freddie walks pretty much in permanent alcoholic state, mostly due to the homemade moonshine he concocts out of whatever he can find, from paint thinner and mouthwash to other household substances. After being discharged from the military after his sexual deviance became too much to ignore, he hits California where his moonshine may or may not have killed a man. On the run, Freddie stumbles onto a party yacht where he meets Lancaster Dodd(Philip Seymour Hoffman), a mysterious man with a strangely hypnotic aura. Dodd exudes confidence and the drive that Freddie lacks, and the former take a shine to one another while downing some of that potential poisonous liquor.
While The Master isn't explicitly about Scientology, the similarities between Dodd and L. Ron Hubbard are unmistakable. Dodd is a charismatic man who understands the value of his every word. He describes himself as an author, nuclear physicist, and philosopher, who also happens to be the leader of the new age religious movement known as The Cause. He traffics in wild ideas based mostly around past lives and hypnosis, and presents himself as a man above petty and baser urges. Although we see numerous times that Dodd is just as susceptible to many of the same animal urges as Freddie. He just hides it better when in polite company. Dodd takes Freddie in as his protege and "guinea pig", which his domineering wife Peggy(Amy Adams) doesn't understand or approve of.
The exploration of Dodd and Freddie's view of The Cause is one of the film's great strengths. Freddie's cynical nature immediately sees through the hogwash Dodd seems to be selling. Dodd, who everyone simply refers to as "Master", has at least convinced himself of the legitimacy of his cause. It's a crucial distinction that keeps Dodd from becoming a simple snake oil salesman. Although what The Cause(and by extension Scientology) is offering may sound like mystical hokum, Anderson also takes pains to show the possibility it could be true. After an incredibly intense therapy session, Freddie's boozing begins to subside as he takes in more of Dodd's message. Like a true religious convert, Freddie channels his old rage into defending The Cause with the zeal of a fanatic, but it only goes to prove just how out of place he still is.
Even in finding a home, Freddie can't escape his past and the one shot at love he let slip away. His anger over his greatest of mistakes is what fuels his dissociative personality, and in Dodd he finds something of a replacement. That's not to say the two are in love with one another, but Dodd's fondness for Freddie goes beyond mere friendship, and vice versa. Perhaps Dodd sees in Freddie the man he could've been without the structure The Cause provides.
Shot in glorious 70-mm and backed by Johnny Greenwood's subtle metronomic score, The Master is a visual and aural revelation. Anderson presents a hypnotic view of post-war Americana, lavishing us with every detail from the crashing sky blue ocean waves to the gentle kiss of the sun's rays over idyllic California.
Phoenix's gives a career-defining performance, and will certainly be met with Best Actor nominations. Hoffman has proven himself multiple times in the past that he is virtually untouchable when playing the most complicated of figures, and his sheer magnetism and presence as Dodd is on par with his Oscar-winning turn as Truman Capote. Even Amy Adams sets aside her natural likability and angelic demeanor to stretch herself in a darker, Lady Macbeth role that sees her doing more scowling than showing off that smile we all love.
There's no doubt The Master will be polarizing, and likely will cause some viewers to walk out wondering what all the fuss was about. There aren't any "I drank your milkshake" moments this time, and the way Anderson approaches these characters is occasionally cold and detached. If you aren't invested right off the bat, it may be a tough film to warm up to. Anderson has so much he wants to say that it makes for a richer experience, but it cuts another way in that some things don't get quite the attention they deserve. Not that Anderson would ever consider letting someone else edit his work(nor should he), he probably could've cut 10 or 15 minutes out and still said everything on his mind. Minor issues, to be sure, and may even be forgotten as there's so much to take in that multiple viewings are an absolute must. The Master is undoubtedly this year's shining crown jewel, with Anderson showered with all the accolades he justly deserves.
