nathandm-75297

It pains me to say this but, The Master is easily my least favorite Paul Thomas Anderson film I've seen thus far.

Prior to watching The Master, I had rewatched three of my favorite PTA films. Punch Drunk Love, There Will Be Blood, and Magnolia. Going into The Master, I knew this film was highly praised by most critics, and I've also seen the film routinely named as a lot of people's favorite PTA film. PTA himself has declared The Master to be his favorite movie he's made. So saying I had high hopes for this one would be an understatement.

The Master is an odd film for me to review because, on the one hand, the technical aspects of it are nearly flawless. Visually, the film is gorgeous, the score is very well executed, and all of the performances are top-notch. But on the other hand, I felt nothing watching this movie. I had no emotional connection to its story or characters whatsoever.

Roger Ebert, who was one of the very few major film critics to give The Master a mixed review, summed up my feelings perfectly when he said, "It's fabulously well-acted and crafted, but when I reach for it, my hand closes on air." I couldn't have said it any better myself.

I felt a certain distance and emotional disconnect while watching The Master. At no point did I feel like I was getting sucked in by the story or its characters. Instead, I felt like the film was keeping me at arm's length.

The Master centers around an alcoholic, sex-addicted World War II Navy soldier who is trying to readjust to civilian life. He's a clearly damaged individual who's prone to irrational behavior and violent outbursts. He then meets the leader of a new cultish movement simply known as the Cause. The two characters end up developing a relationship that is very homoerotic in nature, and from there, the film explores themes of addiction, identity, and manipulation all through the lens of being in a cult.

The soldier, Freddie Quell, is played by Joaquin Phoenix. And although Phoenix is very good in the film, I felt little to no sympathy for his character. And given the fact that his character is the emotional center of this movie, it's clear that the audience is meant to sympathize with him even if he's severely flawed. And I just didn't.

I actively disliked Freddie due to how utterly abrasive, cold, violent, and perverted he was throughout the entire movie. I kind of hated him to be honest and I don't think that was the purpose of his character. It also doesn't help that by the time the film ends, Freddie feels more or less the same as he did at the beginning of the movie, which maybe was supposed to be the point of the film, I don't know, but I don't think I really care either.

I mentioned in my There Will Be Blood review that if you've only seen that film once, then you haven't truly seen it. Perhaps, the same could be said for The Master, but at least when I first watched There Will Be Blood, even when I didn't fully understand the film, I was far more invested in its characters, story, and themes than I ever was with The Master.

This film was such a chore for me to watch the first time around that I honestly don't know if I have the strength to put myself through it again.