"The Master"

After seeing all 137 minutes of The Master, I did not feel that I had seen a movie. I guess that's probably Paul Thomas Anderson's intention, as the traditional story arch is all but absent, much like his 2007 film There Will Be Blood. However, the "glimpses-into-the-life" structure aside, this film is quite beautiful and filled with fascinating character portraits.

The Master
Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson
Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Philip Seymour Hoffman,
Amy Adams
My Opinion: It's like committing to a road trip from
Colorado to Idaho: the journey is better
than the destination.

The cinematography is astounding, as is always expected of Anderson's films. Shot in 65 mm, each frame takes full advantage of the extra space. Lonely, static shots of Freddie Quell (Joaquin Phoenix) flood the first segment of the film. One absorbing image to note is a long, dragging shot of Freddie sprinting across a barren field.

As a speaker explains to a group of seamen including Freddie, life at sea has caused mental instability. This becomes apparent as we follow Freddie after. The prospect of holding a job becomes impossible with Freddie's erratic behavior: fighting a mall-photography subject and poisoning a cabbage-harvesting coworker. But Freddie is good at concocting batches of highly intoxicating serums. Eventually, this binds him to the master himself.

Lancaster Dodd (Philip Seymour Hoffman), the next specimen in the plethora of intricate characters, is the leader of The Cause: a strange, cult-like religious organization that believes that the soul's past physical lives cause emotional pain in the present. Lancaster becomes devoted to fixing Freddie, and the master-servant relationship solidifies.

Yet, what seems at times to be a devoted bromance is tensed by Freddie's inability to stop his violent ways. He can't be fixed, as Lancaster's wife points out. She is played by Amy Adams, appearing much older and sterner than we're used to seeing her. Freddie sees through the bullshit religion and though he tries for his master, he can't quite commit to the cause.

The story examines the potentials and downfalls of a radical religious group such as this one. It brings about an important question: is a bullshit religion worth it if it seems to help people? This is very intriguing to ponder, but the film gives you quite the time to ponder it. The acting is phenomenal and likely caused Joaquin Phoenix quite a bit of physical pain with the starvation and deformity of his stature. However, I wasn't completely blown away by this film. It's not the type of movie you can say that you enjoyed, but it was well worth it, lovely, absolutely absorbing, and also moderately abhorrent.