The Master

Joaquin Phoenix, already being mentioned as an Oscar contender for his raw and electric performance, plays a drifter just out of the Navy at the end of World War II. Director Paul Thomas Anderson (Boogie Nights, There Will Be Blood) has crafted a modern American classic that is being praised by critics as one of the best films of the year. Phoenix falls under the spell of the charismatic leader of a new religious movement. He becomes a reluctant participant in experimental psychological treatments imposed upon him by the manipulative leader, played convincingly by Phillip Seymour Hoffman. This film is sure to be on the short-list for the award season.

IMDb Info