There’s discomfort mixed with fascination that lingers once the curtains drop for “The Master” — Paul Thomas Anderson’s (“There Will Be Blood”) elliptical, hypnotic and elegant character study much ballyhooed by Hollywood insiders as a criticism of Scientology.
While the character in question, Dodd, played by Philip Seymour Hoffman (“Moneyball”), share some qualities with Scientology’s founder, L. Ron Hubbard. While the cultish following he develops, simply termed “The Cause,” bears eerie resemblance to Scientology, Anderson chooses to focus more on the two men at the center of the story and how their interactions shape the beliefs and practices of each other.
Freddie Quell, played by Joaquin Phoenix (“Two Lovers”), is a wayward alcoholic veteran who, after World War II, jumped from one job to another, as a photographer at a mall or a vegetable picker among Filipino workers, but never lasting long enough to build permanent relationships due to his vices. After running away from his latest job, he passes out in a yacht where he meets Dodd, who everyone in the boat simply calls “Master.” What springs from this encounter is a codependent relationship. In Dodd, Quell finds a soul willing to reach out to his. In Quell, Dodd finds a source of inspiration for his writings.
As their relationship gets deeper, the film begins to focus more on the inner workings of Dodd’s “Cause,” usually from Quell’s perspective. The film shows a fanatical, almost frightening, series of gatherings where Dodd either orates to a group of devoted listeners or perform tests on patients meant to release their “spirits from trillions of years ago.” Even more disquieting than the fanaticism displayed by his believers is Dodd’s own wife, Peggy, played by an impressive Amy Adams (“The Muppets”), whose imperious gaze and fervent defiance casts a domineering shadow on the entire movie, even when she is just in the background.
But amidst all the displays of devotion, these scenes are often broken by people who declare Dodd to be a fraud and his “Cause” to be a cult. One such scathing remark comes from Dodd’s own son who says to Quell: “He’s making this all up as he goes.”
Nevertheless, regardless of which direction the film goes, it always brings us back to the central plot revolving around Quell and Dodd. The film charts their relationship’s trajectory as it goes through the highs and lows: initial fascination, increased reliance, festering doubts and eventual fallout.
Through all of these stages in their relationship, both actors put on a fearless display of acting. Phoenix has never been more magnetic onscreen, with his broken posture and his abundance of facial tics. He is as unpredictable and erratic as he is heartbreaking. Hoffman, on the other hand, is just as commanding, possessing a magnetic and alluring charisma that makes Dodd at once calculating, manipulative, relatable and admirable.
Once again, Anderson puts together a beautiful, intimate film. Each image is crisp and beautifully constructed. The score adds an atmospheric, sometimes claustrophobic feel to the film.
Despite the pristine quality of the film, there’s an unmistakable coldness to it. Anderson hardly answers the questions he raises, even going back full circle to the beginning in terms of where the characters started. However, those are arguably parts of a larger thesis about the nature of relationships. And although there’s discomfort at the end of the film, it’s a great feeling.
thescene@theeagleonline.com
