Mastermind, The

USA 2025, 110 minutes
Dir. Kelly Reichardt
English
Rating: [M] Offensive language
Genres: Drama, Suspense/Crime / Independent, Heist

Topics: Period 1970s.

Feat. Josh O’Connor, Alana Haim, Hope Davis, John Magaro, Gaby Hoffmann, Bill Camp

Synopsis: In a sedate corner of Massachusetts circa 1970, JB Mooney (Josh O’Connor) an unemployed carpenter turned amateur art thief, plans his first big heist. When things go haywire, his life unravels.

“Like so much of Reichardt’s output, The Mastermind feels modest when you’re watching it and downright brilliant once it’s had some time to settle in your mind.”~Alison Willmore, New York Magazine (Vulture)

Aroview: From master independent film-maker Kelly Reichardt, this is yet another fine addition to her impressive oeuvre that includes "First Cow" and "Meek’s Cutoff".

Set in the early 1970’s, it’s a sublime throwback to the cinema and culture of that time – of phone booths, slack surveillance and cash currency – on all of which its shambling crime caper plot relies. But it is foremost a droll character piece, with British actor Josh O’Connor giving a career-best performance as a failed architect who "masterminds" a suburban art heist without, er, thinking things through.

NZ International Film Festival 2025