The Master
2012 · Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson
Original language: English
- drama
The story
Freddie, a volatile, heavy-drinking veteran who suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder, finds some semblance of a family when he stumbles onto the ship of Lancaster Dodd, the charismatic leader of a new "religion" he forms after World War II.
What it’s like
Hard, unshowy 65mm textures in a mostly 1950s palette of ochre, slate and washed-out sea blue, with long unbroken takes that let faces hold the frame for uncomfortably long. Much of it is shot in natural daylight, wide ship decks and sun-bleached Californian lots, then pushed into candlelit parlours and dim rooms where the faces go amber and waxy. Sound does a lot of the unnerving work: a restless, brassy Jonny Greenwood score that rises and drones, sudden silences, and the grind of engines and crowd murmur. The vibe is restless and tense, with a steady undercurrent of unease and dark humour, best suited to a late night alone or a focused, undistracted evening. The pacing is deliberate and fragmented, circling rather than building, and its emotional register is raw and ambivalent. The core relationship follows a volatile, damaged drifter slowly and grudgingly tied to a charismatic, self-certain leader, each pulled by need and control. Intensity is moderate: some brawling and drunken outbursts, sexually frank scenes and nudity, and psychological cruelty, with little bloodshed. For viewers who want an intense, actor-driven character study with a cold, uneasy beauty.
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