Second World War veteran Freddie Quell (Joaquin Phoenix) is
struggling to get to grips with civilian life five years after the end of the
war. Obsessed with sex and with a severe drink problem he stows aboard a boat
after leaving yet another job. The boat he is on is home to a party being
thrown by Lancaster Dodd (Philip Seymour Hoffman). Dodd known as The Master
takes an interest in the wondering mind of Freddie and introduces him to ‘The
Cause’, a philosophical group that Dodd controls. The Master attempts to
control Freddie’s drink problem and bring him deeper into his inner circle,
often against the wishes of those closest to him.
I’d been looking forward to The Master for months having heard great things from festivals and
then its US
release. I feel really disappointed then that I walked out of the cinema
feeling tired and underwhelmed. Despite many positives the film went nowhere
and felt slow and dull.
