It's also PTA's vaguest and most opaque film yet. It avoids the dramatic intensity and grandeur of his previous films for a much more restrained approach, but what struck me as I left the theater was that I had no idea what the film was about. Not in terms of plot, but thematically. You could argue that The Master is merely an indictment of organized religion, or a subtle portrayal of a power struggle between two uniquely deranged individuals, but I don't buy that. After some discussion, I agreed that what the film is really saying is that following a group, belief, or person can never replace the fulfillment of true human love and communication.
Maybe, but I kind of disagree with that being the message. If communication is so important, why did Joaquin's character refuse to write a letter to his old girlfriend after he found out she got married?
I actually think the movie is - and I need to watch it again to be sure, but this is what I initially thought - POSITIVE towards the idea of following something, be it a group, belief, person, etc. That may be why Paul Thomas Anderson screened the film for Tom Cruise and he isn't going crazy.
I don't see the ending as something sentimental and saying something like, "Oh, Joaquin just needs a woman. He just needs love. He needs compassion and caring, etc."
He needs domination. He needs sex. He needs women. He needs freedom. He needs himself.
They
are alike -- Joaquin Phoenix and Philip Seymour Hoffman. Philip's religion preached that men were not animals, that they should rise above their instincts. That they don't need sex and sin and so forth. But Philip's character was nothing but a sinner. He enjoyed the company of naked women surrounding him, booze, etc. Meanwhile, he tried to instill guilt in his followers for enjoying the same.
Joaquin could not be tamed. He was as crazy as The Master was. When he took off on that motorcycle, he wasn't trying to escape from the cult -- he just felt the freedom it gave him and he liked it. It overpowered him. He got in a mood and decided to leave because it was fun. There's never a big dramatic twist in the film where Joaquin realizes everyone is crazy and he needs to get away from them -- they are like his family to him. The Master is obviously a surrogate father figure since we know Joaquin's dad is dead.
Joaquin wanted his own independence. He was friends with the cult, but the cult could not have him because he could not be tamed. In the end, we see him enjoying the company of a naked woman on top of him during sex, and he plays the mind game with her as if he's The Master himself. He enjoys being like The Master.
But ultimately, I do feel that there's one thing that does dominate Joaquin and master him, and that's women. And maybe not any certain woman - yet, at least - but women in general. That's why he builds the naked women sand sculptures. That's why he masturbates to them. That's why he picks up women to f**k, etc. Women dominate Joaquin's psyche -- they propel him to take risks and change his life. When he wakes up on that boat before he meets The Master, it is a woman who stirs him awake and leads him to his future. But nothing could ever really strap Joaquin down for good. Even if he someday takes a wife, you can bet that he would not be faithful to her. It is not his nature. He dominates more than he is dominated.
And it's certainly not easy for him to commit. That's why he left the girl he loved in his hometown. She went off and got married without him because he ditched her, just as he ditched The Cause when he took off on that motorcycle. Joaquin's character is a rebel, a wanderer, a lust driven creature. The movie is not about how all you need is human love and communication. In fact, the movie is more about how some people DON'T need human love and communication. Some people are more happy with just themselves -- Philip Seymour Hoffman's Master character is probably the same way. I think those characters are more into themselves than anybody else. They are alike. The Master's mind is dominated by women and booze, too. He is surrounded by his cult members and followers, but ultimately he is alone. Ultimately his most prized possession is himself. Look at how he boasts about all of the different occupations he has when he speaks to Joaquin's character. The man is a sociopath. He likes to control. Life is a game. People are game pieces. What matters is that he always wins. There are real people like this in the world.
The Master is a view into such a twisted way of living. A deadly warning to everyone about such characters. True human love and communication is better than fake love and vain communication, yes, so WATCH WHO YOU'RE DEALING WITH.
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