There are five nominations for Best Actor in a Leading Role and one of them is my favorite, Joaquin Phoenix for his performance in The Master. The film received two other Oscar nominations, also important, Best Supporting Actor and Actress for Hoffman and Amy Adams.

It is strange and dark, it is filmed by a compatriot of mine, Mihai Mălaimare Jr., it is directed by Tom Cruise’s friend, Paul Thomas Anderson of Magnolia fame. By the way, the premiere was at the Venice Film Festival in September 2012, and won there the critics award for The Best Film (FIPRESCI Award).

I really wanted to finish the reviews for all the Best Film nominations, but I considered this one of being important, because of the subject and because personally I liked it so much. Artistically is beautiful.

Joaquin Phoenix plays Freddie Quell, a deranged young or not so young alcoholic, who is enthralled if not quite enslaved by Philip Seymour Hoffman as Lancaster Dodd, the Master of a cult called “The Cause”. Amy Adams is Peggy Dodd, the “master’s” wife (as evil as the husband), Ambyr Childers as Elizabeth Dodd, the master’s daughter, Jesse Plemons is Val Dodd, her brother, Rami Malek is Clark, her husband (a fishy creature). Laura Dern appears as an adept donor of “The Cause”.

The character played by Phoenix met the “master” by taking refuge on a boat where it was a party. He was lost through the guests with a bottle of cocktail based on thinner of which Dodd became instantly addict. With key phrases as “you’re the bravest young guy I have ever met”, he captured Freddie’s devotion and started to experiment on him, claiming he would eventually heal him of all his past traumas. Hoffman – Dodd is a manipulative psychopath. It is stated that the character was based on Ron Hubbard, the Church of Scientology creator. If this is only remotely true, it seams that Scientology is really a brain-washing cult, because in the movie, “The Cause” is nothing more. The complexity of Freddie Quell’s character is based on drinking during the war stories Jason Robards told Anderson on the set of Magnolia and John Steinbeck’s wandering life.

It is said that Tom Cruise haven’t publicly commented about the movie, but he wasn’t happy with it’s association with Scientology.

Ron L. Hubbard, the founder of this cult, was a Science Fiction writer with global vision and it is the inspiration for Dodd’s character, at least for it’s said charisma, even if those were told by Anderson to not squirm the Scientologists from everywhere.

The film is a masterpiece for all it’s 144 minutes and it’s 7.5 imdb rating, less under what it deserves. But as an art movie, the “critics” say it did good. The investors are still short of a few millions, but there is time. The DVD and Blu Ray will be launch soon.

If you haven’t watch it yet, I hope you’ll do it soon.



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