The Master is a story of two men, two who are completely different but almost exactly alike. Freddie Quell is a navy veteran, one who has suffered lots of trauma from the war and is seemingly obsessed with sex while needing some sort of direction in his life, and Lancaster Dodd is his newfound “master”, a man full of power and a self-proclaimed doctor who specializes in healing people and has taken Freddie under his wing. The two eventually become attached to this interesting homosexual relationship, where one seems to have all the power and the other has just the opposite. The movie focuses on the idea that if a person’s nature is fixed or can be engineered from outside, then someone may be able to teach someone else how to act. The movie opens on Freddie, in war, with many far away shots to capture all of the details. We immediately notice that Freddie is very sexual, and he repeatedly mumbles when he talks. In the following scene, we notice that Freddie is known for making his own alcoholic beverages, and that he works as a photographer for a local store. The shot shows Freddie in the center with his camera, while the background of people is blurred behind him. We then see the shot follow the woman Freddie is interested in. This shot is particularly interesting as it follows her with such ease that it looks like she is doing some sort of dance. The music in the background is very slow and relaxed but the lyrics are about Satan. Freddie then continues to take pictures, and seems very mad and upset when Lancaster is seated in his chair. He begins to smother him with bright, hot lights, and Lancaster grows very annoyed. The two begin to fight, trying to choke each other. Freddie eventually runs off. The next scene showcases Freddie, walking toward a boat. The camera follows Freddie through the entire sequence of him following the boat, running towards it, and then jumping on board. On the boat, he continues making drinks and joining the wedding that is going on. He eventually becomes questioned by Lancaster, and takes it as a joke as he is not serious about it. In the second trial, Freddie reveals a lot about himself which shows how damaged he truly is. He is without parents, he doesn’t talk to his family, and he loves a woman who he let go of. After this reveal, we see Freddie and Lancaster grow closer. They begin to bond through their mutual compulsion of alcohol, but they also are able to share their opposing feelings with each other. According to Jacob Knight, “Though the two miscreants may be infatuated with one another, their attraction is anything but healthy. Lancaster is more curious with his new pet than anything else, rescuing the beast and nurturing him to a place of obedience. Lancaster and Freddie are both incredibly dangerous and destructive, but Lancaster’s manipulations are masked by the façade of wanting to “help” poor Freddie”. At one of Lancaster’s gatherings for his teachings, he is questioned by a skeptic of his work. Lancaster ignores the man as he continues his work and as the party continues on in the room around him. The skeptic repeatedly interrupts Dodd, until Dodd acknowledges him. Dodd remains calm as he is clearly annoyed with the man, while Freddie grows exceptionally angered. After that night, Freddie visits the man at home where he proceeds to beat him up. According to Richard Brody “When outsiders begin to question the monumental work Lancaster is doing, it ignites a fire in Freddie that cannot be extinguished. He becomes a rabid guard dog for Dodd’s Cause, beating down the doors of any who look to insult the “Master” who has stirred up this newfound resolve”. Dodd then calls Freddie an animal. The movie then shows Dodd’s wife, Peggy, alone with Dodd. She tells him that they have a lot going on, and she wants him to relieve himself for her, and stating that she wants him to remove his negative thoughts through this. These thoughts may be the homosexual ones between Lancaster and Dodd. As the movie continues, we hear Dodd son state that everything his father says is made up, which again, angers Freddie. When the police come to arrest Dodd for performing medical work without a license, Freddie grows extremely angered and aggressive towards the police which eventually lands him in jail as well. After this incident, the family grows concern with the health and stability of Freddie, while Lancaster continues to tell them that he wants to help Freddie. Once released, Lancaster and Freddie wrestle on the outside lawn, and soon begin their experiments. Freddie grows extremely angered when his love, Doris, is mentioned. Eventually, Lancaster publishes a book with his findings. He talks about how he has changed his method of questioning to ask the client if they can imagine something whether than recall. He also sells his book very similarly to how Elmer Gantry sold religion. He is very much a crowd pleaser. In the next experiment, Freddie is told to pick a point in the distance and drive as fast as he can towards that point, and then to return. Instead of doing that, Freddie continues to drive the motorcycle all the way to Doris’s house, where he learns that she is married and has a family. Lancaster calls him and asks him to visit him at this school. Lancaster states that Freddie can either continue working to get better, or he can never see him again. Lancaster sings the song that Doris sang to Freddie in an earlier flashback, therefore showing the similarity between the two types of love. The next scene shows Freddie in a bar, with a new woman. While in bed, he begins to question her, just like Dodd did to him. The movie ends with him cuddling up with a woman made out of sand on the beach, who seems to be this new woman. Jacob Knight: http://birthmoviesdeath.com/2016/02/22/come-back-to-me-the-painful-love-of-paul-thomas-andersons-the-master Richard Brody: http://www.newyorker.com/culture/richard-brody/the-astonishing-power-of-the-master
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