Normal life after war for a veteran is never easy to adjust to and we as a culture definitely have no shortage of stories about that. Paul Thomas Anderson's The Master might be one of the eeriest and most truthful stories about that topic and because of his reliance on visual storytelling, it proves to be one of the most empty as well. This film is a very interesting look at how a veteran tries to find his way again through a spiritual cult calling themselves the Cause after a hellish life on the sea. However, I do think that this film was very much style over substance and I frankly got nothing out of the entire experience. I never quite knew what this movie was trying to say and despite the fantastic performances and gorgeous cinematography, I was never able to connect with this story as much as everyone else. It was never made clear what Anderson was trying to say with this film and while I respect him so much as one of today's most signature filmmakers, this movie was not a good start for me when dipping into his filmography.
After returning back to the United States after WWII, Naval veteran Freddie Quell (Joaquin Phoenix) struggles to find his place in the world, whether it be with a job or with his social life. One night, he drunkenly stumbles onto the boat of a cult leader named Lancaster Dodd (Philip Seymour Hoffman), who promises to be able to help him thrive as long as Freddie is willing to accept it. Paul Thomas Anderson is a wonderful filmmaker and an even more wonderful aficionado of appreciating the art of film. Although this is the first feature of his that I have seen, I was expecting so, so much more. This film, both written and directed by Anderson, is an incredibly empty and vague look at this veteran's path to recovery and one that is sewn together in such a pointless fashion. Lazily drifting through this story, there never seemed to be any sort of connection from one scene to the next and I was consistently lost at what point these characters were at. Perhaps I was meant to guess on the status of these characters' relationships based on context clues, but the lack of clarity definitely hurt my enjoyment of this story. There were also some supposed time jumps that were never made clear, either visually or physically, and so I could never tell where my mind was supposed to be. Save for a few, short scenes such as in the jail that genuinely personified these characters and their motivations, I was completely lost in what I was supposed to be feeling for these people. This film was unabashedly cold the entire time and while that was most definitely the point, it did not bode well for making me even care about what happened to them. The lack of depth in Anderson's writing seems very unlike him and I guess I will need to check out his other films in the hope of redeeming how much this slow-burn film never paid off.
Anderson's premise for this film was very easy to follow at first and there was so much potential for a far more interesting character study. Many scenes throughout this film help to personify Dodd and his very strange cult of followers and when done right, said scenes were mystifying. Anderson's direction became entrancing in these parts, to the point that I felt like I was being hypnotized myself, but in the grander scheme of things, these scenes jumped around so haphazardly. I was never able to get behind these characters or the apparently absent message, but one thing for sure is how much work this cast put into the story. Phoenix, Hoffman, Amy Adams, and a young Rami Malek were all perfect in this movie and they completely embodied the vague feeling all of their characters carried. This is the film that I believe Phoenix actually deserves accolades for and he proved to be the standout of this otherwise meandering story. The cinematography from Mihai Malaimare Jr. was also stunning and made every color so bluntly bold. The beautiful use of color added so much depth to each frame and I adored every shot and every visual choice. More movies should be shot on 65 mm film and Malaimare Jr. makes this creative choice absolutely pay off. However, The Master had nothing to say about its supposed theme of religion or salvation and while this thematic emptiness might be the point, I just can not get behind this type of almost visionless filmmaking. Not every film has to contain an astounding message to be good or important, but I just think that in order to get your ebbing theme of nothingness correctly presented to an audience, it has to be done the right way. Exhibit A: the Coens' Burn After Reading.
The Master is as bold as it is meaningless and for over two hours, I was never sure what was even happening. The basic premise is evident and this entire cast of characters absolutely crush these roles but the writing was so lax that I felt lost throughout its entirety. I really wanted to love this film after hearing endlessly good rave reviews and I do appreciate Anderson's breathable approach but this type of film just does not do anything for me.
My Rating: ★★
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