The Master (2012)

The Master (R) Review

"...The Fool or the Fool who follows him?" (Revised 3/20/2013)

PT Anderson's follow up to his last opus, Best Picture contender "There Will Be Blood" stars Juaquin Phoenix as Freddie Quell, an unbalanced ex-WWII sailor drifting through the world as a hopeless violent drunk. Phoenix is astonishing, playing Freddie as a stooping maniac with a twisted evil grin, a slave to sex and homemade alcohol, a barely restrained psychotic who is let loose on an unsuspecting public by a no-longer desperate US Navy. Freddie feels real, his foibles and mannerisms adroitly make him uncomfortable to be around and yet sympathetic to the audience, Quell is a manly man and does not dwell on his pathos, he shrugs his shoulders and laughs about them. That is until he chances to meet Lancaster Dodd, played by Phillip Seymour Hoffman, an enigmatic man who's electric personality and wit have gathered a flock around him, the sproutings of a cult. Dodd proceeds to delve into Quell's mind, to try and cure him through his "proven" methods that he has discovered, of his alcoholism and depravities; most of all he welcomes him unabashedly into his family (his first day among them Freddie attends a Dodd family wedding) and gives him a home. Hoffman plays Dodd with enough panache to really let us understand why people would fawn over him, read his book, believe his abstract teachings, but Phoenix is the star here and has the most screen time, and rightfully so. This story is not about Scientology, does not bash or berate, instead it simply tries to show what it believes, what humans did to each other in the blossoming of the Atomic Age, one side of the coin that was the dawning of the New Age cultism. Humans looking for answers, and finding someone claiming to have them (Dodd). Much to everyone's chagrin, Freddie Quell is more interested in his next drink even as he becomes a sycophant and violent enforcer of Dodd's teachings (which he may or may not even believe in, but they do seem to assist in his quality of life). The film was shot on 65mm, the last film since Branagh's Hamlet in 1996, and the clarity and light are wonderful.

The score, once again by Radiohead's Greenwood who also did There Will Be Blood, is periodic and well done, but surprisingly not a strong character in the movie except at the very beginning. I was shocked to find myself being worn out by the slow pace of it all, of watching a film with such great performances in a story that went nowhere and seemingly had nothing to say. There were shockingly few (unlike PTA's other, I'd say more Masterful, films) moments of poignancy, of energy and life and death. The violence happens behind doors, is discussed in past tense or feels impotent (perhaps PTA is trying to break his own mold but I would say detrimentally). The nervous twitter of Punch Drunk Love or the angry machinations of There Will Be Blood are not present, the cold clarity of Hard Eigth or the youthful zest of Boogie Nights, the random calamity that is Magnolia, all missing. The movie felt very Kubrikian to me, long shots of actors characterizing for the camera, sexual tension and obsession, the framing and the construction of the scenes. Don't get me wrong, this is definately a Anderson film (it greatly resembles There Will Be Blood in beauty and texture), but one without teeth. There is no great story to tell, there is no dynamic way to tell it, no greater subtext or purpose other than "this happened", and at a long 2 hours 15 minutes it feels like a slow tedious happening. I was happy when it ended, and that is no jab at PT, this is a movie about Quell and his post-WW2 PTSD and the film's final frames satisfied me with the character's story arc. The rest of the film may not be enough to get us to that ending, in fact I believe the story is as pointless and drifting as Quell himself, Masterless.

There are many things about The Master that are unforgettable, mesmerizing (literally), and should open a few doors for some typecasted actors (Amy Adams as Dodd's wife is a pleasantly chilling performance), and when the large beauty of the open sea smacks the camera lens it is wonderful. However, I believe the best of this film is probably in the making, the dallies and extra angles and alternate and deleted scenes. Unfortunately I don't think most of that made it onto the screen, that it held itself up enough and as entertainment The Master comes across as an unfortunately dull movie about a fortunately interesting subject, a film that doesn't point fingers where we need it to and is ultimately talking about a subject that no one understands. The whys of existence and the insanity of trying to define it, so what does that say about those who attempt to? In that, The Master succeeds wonderfully, and I won't soon forget it, but will have a hard time recommending it.

*ADDENDUM*
Having rewatched the film and gotten over the shock of PT Anderson teasing his own conventions and then throwing them overboard, there can be no doubt that The Master was the best film made in 2012.  PT's vision and the way he thinks around corners is flush on the screen is fascinating, infuriating ways, and while I stand by my review and everything it says, in perspective to the rest of the years choices in film it is the clear stand out.  Seeing it at home also has allowed me to absorb the amazing beauty in every single frame of film, the beauty is as hypnotising as Juaquins performance, and as Paul Thomas Anderson's refusal to do what I expect.  Braco, and must be watched again to appreciated fully.

8.5 Bread Filtered Cocktails out of 10 (GREAT)
Formerly 6.5 "I'm as Shocked as you are" out of 10 (GOOD)