Master, The
“A bold, challenging, brilliantly acted drama that is a must for serious audiences.”~Hollywood Reporter
Aroview: Paul Thomas Anderson directs this mercurial period drama of a disaffected war veteran who falls under the spell of the charismatic leader of a cult.
Although fascinating for its overt allusions to the founding of Scientology, the narrative posits neither a critique nor a defense of L. Ron Hubbard’s bizarre faith, but conversely, a vast and open-ended portrait of antisocial characters searching for meaning and direction in the unsettled years following World War II. Anchored by electrifying performances – Phoenix and Hoffman, in particular, are worth singling out as acting opposites who somehow attract – the film similarly embraces a push-pull magnetism through its strange, elusive rhythms and uncanny sense of the past, which evokes many of the great American character studies of the ’70s.
Member Reviews
Average rating (Very Good). Showing 1-4 of 4 member reviews.
3 stars (Good Enough) Another impressive performance from Phoenix. Unfortunately Amy Adams and Laura Dern don't get much of a look in. ~Tubbs
3 stars (Good Enough) Long. Good performances, but everyone's playing to type. ~Truant
4 stars (Very Good) Way too opaque for general tastes, with a final half-hour that just trails off. But Phoenix's palpable intensity, and images of enigmatic portent (gloriously shot, augmented by fine music), haunted me long afterward. See it and wonder. ~fairbrother
5 stars (Exceptional) ~gradientboon
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