THE MASTER DEMONSTRATES HOW A CULT CAN DEVELOP
It is 1950. Freddie Quell (played by Joaquin Phoenix), recently discharged as a naval sergeant, has undiagnosed post-traumatic stress syndrome and seeks to drown his stress with alcohol until he runs into Lancaster Todd (played by Philip Seymour Hoffman), who has developed a therapy that might help him. Todd believes that everyone is reincarnated and that many illnesses began in a previous life, so his job is to root out the person’s past trauma. He has written a book on the subject, has convinced his family of his wisdom, and he receives donations to continue his work, notably from those who have been treated by him. Presumably Todd’s musical performance, in which all females move their naked bodies, is one of those therapies. But Freddie presents a formidable challenge to Todd, who makes up therapies as he goes along. A guest invited to one of his receptions questions the scientific basis for Todd’s therapies, but Todd responds by raising his voice and attacking the question itself. As the writers of the ridiculous story do not provide an ending to the film, they present a noir conundrum for filmviewers: Why are so many Americans unable to think in a scientific mode and would rather believe in a hoax that only enriches a quack? MH