Why Paul Thomas Anderson considers The Master his most personal and favorite film
In short: Paul Thomas Anderson’s 2012 drama, The Master, is a haunting exploration of post-war alienation and the magnetic pull of charismatic cult leaders. Featuring powerhouse performances from Joaquin Phoenix and Philip Seymour Hoffman, the film remains a technical marvel and a deeply emotional, if intentionally opaque, masterpiece of modern cinema.
The Master follows Freddie Quell, a volatile, sex-obsessed Navy veteran struggling to integrate into American society after World War II. His path crosses with Lancaster Dodd, the charismatic leader of a philosophical movement called The Cause. Dodd, an intellectual charlatan, takes an interest in Quell, subjecting him to a series of psychological exercises known as processing. As they travel together, their relationship evolves into a complex, often destructive, master-disciple dynamic that mirrors the tensions of the era.
The film’s production was as ambitious as its narrative. Shot almost entirely on 65 mm film stock, it was the first fiction feature to use the format since 1996. Anderson drew inspiration from diverse sources, including the life of Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard, the novel V. by Thomas Pynchon, and John Huston’s documentary Let There Be Light. Despite initial budget concerns that caused Universal Pictures to drop the project, Megan Ellison’s Annapurna Pictures eventually financed the film, allowing Anderson to realize his vision.
Critical reception was polarized yet largely laudatory, with many praising the performances of Phoenix, Hoffman, and Amy Adams. While some critics found the storytelling frustratingly unresolved, others hailed it as a landmark of the 21st century. Anderson himself has repeatedly cited the film as his favorite, noting the immense emotional investment he and his lead actors poured into the project. For Anderson, the film’s unique, sentimental, and occasionally imperfect nature is precisely what makes it a source of enduring pride.
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- Summary by Intellect · source: The Master (2012 film)
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