Friday 22 March 2013

The Master

I hate art house cinema.  Primarily because I am never sure if the movie was good or not.  So it becomes extremely difficult to rate or review.  It exposes my limitations and makes me look and feel very vulnerable.  I am an amateur critic but a wrong review will of course go a long way in hampering my credibility. 

I for one can ill afford the negative publicity.  Other than that disclaimer, I would like to add one more. I do not have a professional qualification in the world of cinema.  Therefore my apologies in advance.  I did not find the 2.5 hours that I spent on The Master extremely compelling.
 
I am quite certain that I will be receiving brickbats galore for that previous line.  How can I find a movie not so great when the most seasoned critics haven’t taken a respite from commending Paul Thomas Anderson.  But then, those were the same critics who lauded Tree of Life which I slept through.
 
The Master is the story of one Freddie Quell (Joaquin Phoenix) who has spent a lot of time at sea during the IInd World War.  He now suffers from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder – a situation that has driven him to alcoholism and a different kind of sex addiction.
 
Like most able bodied service men, Freddie finds it difficult to get a permanent job.  He dabbles around as a photographer at a department store but that doesn’t last.  Over time he is continuously degenerating and unable to take care of himself.  He then decides to jump onboard a steamer bound for New York.
 
Lancaster Dodd (Philip Seymour Hoffman) is a man who is extremely famous in several circles.  By his own admission, he does several things.  He is a physicist, philosopher and orator amongst other things.  Dodd has rented out the boat that Freddie decides to be a stowaway on.  He takes a fancy to Freddie’s specific alcoholic concoction and tries to use his method of hypnosis to cure Freddie of his ailments.
 
The Master could not really hold me riveted to the screen.  While the screen presence of Hoffman and Phoenix was definitely powerful, I cannot say that their performances were great because I do not know what their characters were meant to portray.  The screenplay was an original one and I am afraid, I did not quite understand the same.
 
If Phoenix was to portray a helpless and dangerous alcoholic then he did a fab job.  Similarly, if Hoffman was to portray an insecure, supra defensive person who has the gift of the gab but little substance then he did a great job too.  Lastly Amy Adams (one of my favourite actresses) playing a pregnant 2nd (or 3rd) wife to Dodd – also equally insecure – was great provided that was the intent of the character.
 
I would not want my lack of cinema education to come in the way of a fair call here.  Judge the movie for yourself is what I say.  Was it as boring as Tree of Life – not really.  But then it wasn’t a fabulous edge of the seat drama either.  I am going with a neutral 5 on 10.  Worth a risk if you are OK to look at cinema that is really slow.
 

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