The Master

What is the use for control of others if you cannot control yourself? [Some potential spoilers ahead] Paul Thomas Anderson’s films are often centered around a gripe for power and a need for control, but perhaps non more obvious than The Master. The film presents a clear strive for authority over others through Dodd’s (Philip Seymour Hoffman) command of his followers and in particular Freddie Quell (Joaquin Phoenix), as well as Freddie’s lack of self-control and later quest for independence and mastery of himself.  The Master is centered around internal conflicts with the external clashes always being brushed off with relative ease - Freddie’s potential murder charge is quickly forgotten, and there aren’t any substantial consequences for the arrests of Dodd and Freddie. All actions and consequences are rooted in the characters’ relationships, and nothing else truly matters. This dynamic ends up adding to the faux power of Dodd as the audience is put in the shoes of Freddie witnessing his almost mythical authority. He’s above the problems of the material world.  During the later part of the film, the facade begins to crack with the release of Dodd’s second book (we see a glimpse of him coughing, revealing his mortality). This fallacy creates a divide that pushes Freddie away as he tries to gain a sense of self while not realizing how large a part of him is still under Dodd’s influence.  The Master is an incredible film, and one of Paul Thomas Anderson’s best. It’s utterly meticulous in both its narrative and technical aspects to a point where it’s almost impossible to identify a single issue that makes the film anything less than perfect. The cast is unbelievably strong, and not remembering much from the last time I saw the film, I kept being surprised by who turned up.