The Master

Yeah chalk it up, don’t think there’ll ever be a film that portrays the depths of the cult ideologies in such an ambitious but well done manner as PTA did here in The Master. I mean probably not much to say that already hasn’t been stated about this film. A huge achievement in its execution of how it conveys some of the most philosophical themes and references to religion all condensed into this cult following world. Absolutely stunning from a technical standpoint as well, and not to mention brilliant performances which I wanna get to now.  Just absolutely amazing performances and true showmanship of acting chops with Phoenix and Phillip Seymour Hoffman in here. Joaquin just absolutely encapsulates the abrasive but desperate and impressionable nature of his character, leaving no room for the audience to seem comfortable watching his character portrayed on screen. Same thing with Seymour Hoffman in the film but in a totally different way. One of the things to catch in his portrayal of this leader is that for a person in that much power and importance, his tone at times comes off as almost comedic and playful at times. That detail is to make his arguments and ideologies more persuasive to an audience because the comedic aspect makes it feel more grounded in the reality of basic humanity rather than a sick and twisted moral code  That’s just one of so many examples of the genuis and brilliance behind Phillip’s attempt to depict the manipulative tendencies of this character. Every detail from that to even his calm and collected demeanor, plays into what makes his character so subtly effective and powerful. Also cinematography in the movie was fantastic as well. Kinda like super obsessed with the framing and composition in this one. It’s so symmetrical and well centered in a way that’s not only so satisfying but also filled with so much intentionality. The wide shots give you an idea of the full landscape of the world Freddie is being trapped into while still having it centralized on him, considering he’s the main target in the atmosphere  The close up shots tell even more, getting an inside look into the core emotions and feelings of the characters in each scene through how beaming or squinted their eyes are on what they’re focusing on. It’s really an amazing technical display of how cinematography can tell a story of its own. Now to talk about the literal story itself. While there is a lot to unpack in it as it’s a bit much to fully take in on a first watch. There’s still so many central ideas and messages I caught throughout the film.  For one I think the most Paul talks on in this film is how these cultish communities and leaderships directly mirror religion and faith. And that leads us to the ideology presented in the movie that humanity can be their own masters rather than relying on a supernatural being like God. Something the film shows to be easing but more so dangerous if anything. While humanity around is filled with so much knowledge in their minds, that knowledge can also be used to fulfill the worst of human free will like manipulating people or forcing them into our beliefs as an abuse of our newfound power. Lancaster Dodd serves as an example to so many other deranged people and leaders we have out there almost making a cult of their own, snagging gullible followers less intelligent and more vulnerable along with them.  Freddie was the perfect candidate for Dodd’s cult religion. He was scared, angered, emotionally incompetent to figure life out on his own, and at that point absolutely desperate for someone to send a net out for him to be saved from his troubles which made him more easily swayed to assimilate himself into this cult following. Just an absolute masterpiece in narrative and creativity with how well this was executed, and fabulous all around. 10/10. No notes