Every once in awhile, we come across a movie that defies mainstream cinema, and forces you to watch it with a different approach. I find this very challenging, and most of the time I enjoy the exercise. This doesn't make a movie automatically a work of art, but it is good to be put in a position where you have to think outside the square. This is the case with "The Master"
Freddie Quell, played by Joaquim Phoenix, is a WWII veteran with mental problems that is walking adrift in life, with no home and no purpose. After a wild night he awakens in a boat belonging to Lancaster Dodd, played by Philip Seymour Hoffman, also known as "The Master". Dodd is the founder and leader of a cult named "The Cause" Like any other cult leader, Lancaster Dodd is narcissistic and intolerant. His views on life and his decisions are not to be questioned by his followers who respond to him blindly and with devotion.
These two odd characters engage in a relationship of dominance and admiration. Freddie, whose behaviour has always been erratic and bordering on bi polar, physically attacks those who dare to question The Master's theories and beliefs.
The movie moves along without a clear story line. It's mostly the strange relationship between these two characters. The point is, the acting is so sensational that you are drawn into the lives of these two men, knowing for sure that this could not end well. I was expecting a fatalistic grand finale, with Quell turning violent on his new mentor and possibly committing suicide. And who knows if this would have happened if you gave this movie fifteen more minutes. The thing is, Anderson was not interested in a climatic ending, or an ending with a twist. He leaves us there, wandering what would come next.
The mastery of Anderson's creation lies in the construction of these two characters. Better yet, three characters, as Amy Adams does a subtle but powerful impersonation of Peggy Dodd, Lancaster's wife who seems to be the only person with any control over his life and actions. Adams had prviously teamed up with Seymour Hoffman in "Doubt" where both of them had remarkable performances. I hope she gets the recognition she deserves for this role.
Even when Phoenix has been nominated for Academy awards before (Walk the line and Gladiator) I truly believe this is his best work so far. Just watching him walk and gesture in this movie made me uneasy. He portrays his role as an oversexed psychotic person well. Seymour Hoffman also delivers a masterful performance, but we're used to that already. His role as an intolerant, manipulative, possibly lunatic but very intelligent cult leader is fantastic. My only question would be that he seems to portray this character the same way he has done with others in the past.This is not a bad thing, just not that original.
Overall, this is a great movie, which needs to be seen bearing in mind there will be no clear story line or major developments. Only the rants and tribulations of three very peculiar people.
This is, at least, my opinion. And I could be wrong.
These two odd characters engage in a relationship of dominance and admiration. Freddie, whose behaviour has always been erratic and bordering on bi polar, physically attacks those who dare to question The Master's theories and beliefs.
The movie moves along without a clear story line. It's mostly the strange relationship between these two characters. The point is, the acting is so sensational that you are drawn into the lives of these two men, knowing for sure that this could not end well. I was expecting a fatalistic grand finale, with Quell turning violent on his new mentor and possibly committing suicide. And who knows if this would have happened if you gave this movie fifteen more minutes. The thing is, Anderson was not interested in a climatic ending, or an ending with a twist. He leaves us there, wandering what would come next.
The mastery of Anderson's creation lies in the construction of these two characters. Better yet, three characters, as Amy Adams does a subtle but powerful impersonation of Peggy Dodd, Lancaster's wife who seems to be the only person with any control over his life and actions. Adams had prviously teamed up with Seymour Hoffman in "Doubt" where both of them had remarkable performances. I hope she gets the recognition she deserves for this role.
Even when Phoenix has been nominated for Academy awards before (Walk the line and Gladiator) I truly believe this is his best work so far. Just watching him walk and gesture in this movie made me uneasy. He portrays his role as an oversexed psychotic person well. Seymour Hoffman also delivers a masterful performance, but we're used to that already. His role as an intolerant, manipulative, possibly lunatic but very intelligent cult leader is fantastic. My only question would be that he seems to portray this character the same way he has done with others in the past.This is not a bad thing, just not that original.
Overall, this is a great movie, which needs to be seen bearing in mind there will be no clear story line or major developments. Only the rants and tribulations of three very peculiar people.
This is, at least, my opinion. And I could be wrong.
No comments:
Post a Comment