The Master: an Epic of Character Relation

It's a bit difficult to decipher the sputterings of Freddie Quell (Joaquin Phoenix) upon first meeting him—an unfortunate side effect of the combination of his Massachusetts drawl and a seemingly constant state of inebriation. Quell is a Navy man, but you get the impression that his occupation on the high seas has less to do with a calling and more to do with the fact that it was something to do.

Prone to fits of rage, often in conjunction with his frequent drunkenness, and unnaturally aroused by an anatomically correct woman his ship mates built on a beach, it's clear Freddie is damaged goods. In a scene as simple as it is effective, we see a disembodied voice assuring ambivalent faces that these soldiers can do whatever they want, be whatever they want upon returning home from war. Based upon a psychological exam in which Freddie sees a cock, a pussy and their derivatives in his Rorschach test, we get the impression that that promise will not come to fruition for him.

Instead, he bumbles his way through menial jobs, photographing portraits in a department store and farming cabbage on his way to…what exactly? Freddie shows no hint of ambition, no concern other than what ingredients are available to him to make moonshine. Not dying seems to be the best Freddie can expect. Clearly, he is a man without direction, without guidance, without a cause. 

While in a drunken stupor, he stows away on a boat hosting what appears to be a celebration. That celebration is being thrown by Lancaster Dodd (Philip Seymour Hoffman), a self-professed "writer, doctor, nuclear physicist and theoretical philosopher” who is presiding over his daughter's wedding. Dodd is charismatic, enthusiastic and he appears to hold court over the small congregation of wedding guests as a patriarch would a family dinner. His followers refer to him as "Master." During a speech, Dodd gives thanks to "The Cause" and though Freddie may be in the dark in regards to this enigmatic reference, those gathered respond to Dodd with praise and joy.

Freddie's appearance seems to inspire Dodd, who has been working on a new book. The book is tied into The Cause, a nebulous belief system that at its core allows for a metaphorical method of time travel to relive past lives and be relieved of past trauma. Much is spoken about The Cause, but very little is said. Dodd's words are flowery, esoteric mumbo jumbo, eaten up by those who follow him, but written off as narrow minded and implausible by critics. "He's making this all up as he goes along. You see that, don't you?" Dodd's son, Val (Jesse Plemons) questions of Freddie. It's not hard to believe, but in Dodd, Freddie finds a mentor, a friend, a healer and at times, a rival. It's clear why Freddie would be attracted to Dodd's gravity.

It's in the pendulum swings of the relationship between Freddie and Dodd that the brilliant strokes of P.T. Anderson's The Master are most evident. The title of the film and recent confirmation that its roots stem in the genesis of Scientology would imply that The Master is an examination of how a cult leader figure twists and manipulates the life of a follower ripe for shaping, but such an assumption would be both unfair and overly simplistic for a filmmaker whose work is hard to classify and meticulous in its subtlety.

Dodd is indeed meant to act as a mentor for Freddie and yet both men have vices. What effect does a teacher with demons have on a student with his own? What effect does an animalistic student have on a teacher who preaches a return to perfection? Their relationship is not an easy one, fluctuating between tender reliance and unadulterated scorn. The question of "what does this have to say about Scientology?" should be and is quickly jettisoned in favor of the question of "what does this say about the nature of man and our ability or—lack thereof—to change?"

The Master inspires many questions within us, but doesn't go far in answering those questions and is one of Anderson's most difficult films to access as a result. On the surface, there are many things in which to be in awe on a first viewing—the superlative performances, the fantastic cinematography of Mihai Malamaire Jr., the unsettling score of Jonny Greenwood—but The Master is without question a film that commands multiple viewings, the kind of film that will imminently and clearly reveal how it speaks to you when more attention can be paid to the nuance that Anderson has weaved into every frame.