Review
Paul Thomas Anderson has grown as perhaps the greatest American auteur of his generation. At 42 this is his 6th film (following 1996's "Hard Eight" 1997's ȫoogie Nights" 1999's "Magnolia" my alltime favorite 2002's "PunchDrunk Love" and 2007's "There Will Be Blood"). Like the late master Kubrick and the aging master Terrence Malick (who coincidentally just debuted his 6th film "To the Wonder" at the latest Venice Film Festival where PTA won the Silver Lion for Best Director) he isn't the most prolific of filmmakers but his perfectionist creations cerebral yet strikingly cinematic and emotional always leave an indelible mark (polarizing audiences but usually earning critical acclaim). "The Master" is no exception. Shot on 70mm film it is not so much of an "outside" epic as youɽ imagine although every single image is stunning and perfectly composed (courtesy of cinematographer Mihai Malaimare Jr. who replaced Robert Elswit Anderson's usual collaborator). It closely resembles "There Will Be Blood" in tone and content but it stands on its own (Jonny Greenwood is once again responsible for the score).
Freddie Quell (Joaquin Phoenix) is a troubled and troubling drifter who becomes the righthand man of Lancaster Dodd (actor extraordinaire Philip Seymour Hoffman) "the master" of a cult named The Cause in postWWII America. Their strange ambiguous relationship is the center of the film. "The Master" is a thoughtprovoking indictment of cult fanaticism and lies sold as religion which has caused controversy and concern among Scientologists even before its release. By not mentioning real names Anderson is capable of broadening the scope of his story and making it richer and subtler than a straightforward "Scientology flick" would have been. Like his previous films there's more than meets the eye at a single viewing and his attention to detail pays off (there's also a visual homage to Jonathan Demme's "Melvin and Howard" another favorite of Anderson's in a motorcycle racing scene). Hoffman is as good as ever and Amy Adams is highly effective (slowly depriving herself of cutesy mannerisms) as his wife. David Lynch's golden girl Laura Dern has a small role as well. But this is Joaquin Phoenix's hour all the way. River Phoenix's younger brother has become a fascinating actor himself since Gus Van Sant's dark comedy "To Die For" (1995) and after his much publicized "retirement from acting" and music career hoax in 2009 he managed to come back with a performance for the ages which shall culminate in Oscar gold. As for Anderson it is unsure whether the Academy will finally recognize him as he deserves. His films may still be too outlandish for the Academy's taste (he's announced his next project will be an adaptation of Thomas Pynchon's crime novel "Inherent Vice" a seemingly less ambitious project he hopes to make in less than five years). Regardless of Oscar numbers we can rest assured that in a world where PTA gets to make such personal and original work and find his audience there is still hope and room for intelligent filmmaking.
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