Master Gardener (2023)
When it comes to empathetic and moving cinema, few filmmakers have expressed as poignance and ability as the legendary Paul Schrader. Spending a career of over 40-years cranking out masterpiece after masterpiece, Schrader is undeniable as one of the best American directors of all-time. Recently, Schrader has embarked on an unofficial series starting with First Reformed and The Card Counter that tackled some of Schrader's larger anxieties living in the modern world. While First Reformed was a devastating fit of anger in the face of the modern climate crisis and the avoidance of action by those who can make a difference; The Card Counter was a tense look at the atrocities committed in modern warfare by America. Schrader continues this now planned tetralogy with Master Gardener. Set on the wealthy Gracewood Gardens estate, Master Gardener follows a man named Narvel Roth (Joel Edgerton) who is in charge of the estate's vast gardens while he engages with a relationship of sorts with the estate's owner, Norma Haverhill (Sigourney Weaver). When she comes back into contact with her great-niece Maya (Quintessa Swindell), Norma decides to help sponsor an internship that will see Maya work with Narvel with hopes that one day she can take over the gardens. Narvel and Maya begin to build their own relationship, but unknown to Maya, Narvel was once a Neo-Nazi and remains covered in the tattoos of his former life that he has tried to escape from.
This is an immediately bold focus with Schrader addressing his own fears and emotions surrounding the rise of Neo-Nazi ideology on a global scale. As with First Reformed and The Card Counter, Schrader uses the cinematic lens to explore the possibility of finding a way to cope with this beyond horrible social event. Due to the nature of his previous two films and the subject matter being addressed, one might expect Master Gardener to be another defeatist and depressing feature; but the film embraces an emotion completely different: love. Master Gardener is a film that doesn't brood hatred or anger, instead it broods love and hope. The character of Narvel is one that is obviously complex. While one can appreciate the changes he has made in his life to not just turn his own life around but also use his knowledge to aid in stopping others who shared his previous mindset, one also has to hold him accountable for his actions which included acts of great violence. The moral compass, as usual for Schrader productions, is all over the place and Schrader finds no clear statement on this. Instead, Schrader pushes through with the emotion of love which is grounded in his developing relationship with Maya.
The relationship between these two is slow and rough but Schrader finds the perfect moments to highlight their connection. Taking a page out of First Reformed, Schrader again turns to fantastical visuals to strip these characters of their physical shells to showcase a deeper stage of existence that is rewarded when these two characters are together. Considering the focus put not just on Narvel's tattoos but also Maya's African American identity, Schrader finds a rather beautiful idea of human connection that transcends the practical physical shells that contain us. In this, however, one has to acknowledge Schrader's limitations of writing a perspective he does not share with Maya's role in the narrative, sometimes feeling uncomfortable as a result. Writing a person of color's response to something as massive as a rise in white supremacy is a complex task that demands the authenticity and perspective that Schrader simply doesn't possess and shouldn't even attempt no matter what the final product would be. This is not his perspective to share and these areas of the narrative suffer as a result.
The final conclusion of this narrative journey is one of hope. Tying wonderfully in with the film's obsession with plants and their ability to spring back after incredible damage, the film finds hope for human change and for decent societal morals to restore themselves no matter what is done to harm them. This is a vastly different conclusion from either First Reformed or The Card Counter but it is one that is still massively effective and meaningful. Schrader has turned his modern output of cinema into a modern version of therapy or religion that is impossible not to get swept up in.
While the writing is mostly strong, the performances are also remarkably effective. Similar to Ethan Hawke and Oscar Issac in Schrader's previous films, Joel Edgerton is a fantastic lead with a brooding presence that commands the screen. Schrader returns to his now iconic framing device of his lead writing in a journal to enter his mind and highlight the intensity within. Edgerton is angry and frustrated at his inability to move on from the life he once lived and the position he currently finds himself in. There is an innocence to his character by Edgerton that gives the character a needed humanity. Edgerton is equally intense as he is tender with a controlled fire that is rarely seen to this level of success. In supporting roles, both Quintessa Swindell and Sigourney Weaver. Swindell immediately holds their ground with a kind yet powerful performance that finds immediate chemistry with Edgerton. While some of their big moments might lose some impact due to flaws within the screenplay, Swindell is continually flawless and is one of the brightest young actors seen in recent memory. While Weaver is far from being that big of a revelation, her devilish outing strikes with an entertaining venom that finds a completely unique form of chemistry with Edgerton that is immediately memorable.
While Master Gardener might not be a total masterpiece like First Reformed or The Card Counter, the film is still an overall excellent feature. Schrader tackles yet another impossible subject with a humanity and love that defies expectations and delivers a uniquely poignant final product. While it would have been nice to see Schrader focus his attention more to cut the moments of inauthentic expression, the film survives with a strong story that continues to prove the talent and ability of Schrader.
This is an immediately bold focus with Schrader addressing his own fears and emotions surrounding the rise of Neo-Nazi ideology on a global scale. As with First Reformed and The Card Counter, Schrader uses the cinematic lens to explore the possibility of finding a way to cope with this beyond horrible social event. Due to the nature of his previous two films and the subject matter being addressed, one might expect Master Gardener to be another defeatist and depressing feature; but the film embraces an emotion completely different: love. Master Gardener is a film that doesn't brood hatred or anger, instead it broods love and hope. The character of Narvel is one that is obviously complex. While one can appreciate the changes he has made in his life to not just turn his own life around but also use his knowledge to aid in stopping others who shared his previous mindset, one also has to hold him accountable for his actions which included acts of great violence. The moral compass, as usual for Schrader productions, is all over the place and Schrader finds no clear statement on this. Instead, Schrader pushes through with the emotion of love which is grounded in his developing relationship with Maya.
The relationship between these two is slow and rough but Schrader finds the perfect moments to highlight their connection. Taking a page out of First Reformed, Schrader again turns to fantastical visuals to strip these characters of their physical shells to showcase a deeper stage of existence that is rewarded when these two characters are together. Considering the focus put not just on Narvel's tattoos but also Maya's African American identity, Schrader finds a rather beautiful idea of human connection that transcends the practical physical shells that contain us. In this, however, one has to acknowledge Schrader's limitations of writing a perspective he does not share with Maya's role in the narrative, sometimes feeling uncomfortable as a result. Writing a person of color's response to something as massive as a rise in white supremacy is a complex task that demands the authenticity and perspective that Schrader simply doesn't possess and shouldn't even attempt no matter what the final product would be. This is not his perspective to share and these areas of the narrative suffer as a result.
The final conclusion of this narrative journey is one of hope. Tying wonderfully in with the film's obsession with plants and their ability to spring back after incredible damage, the film finds hope for human change and for decent societal morals to restore themselves no matter what is done to harm them. This is a vastly different conclusion from either First Reformed or The Card Counter but it is one that is still massively effective and meaningful. Schrader has turned his modern output of cinema into a modern version of therapy or religion that is impossible not to get swept up in.
While the writing is mostly strong, the performances are also remarkably effective. Similar to Ethan Hawke and Oscar Issac in Schrader's previous films, Joel Edgerton is a fantastic lead with a brooding presence that commands the screen. Schrader returns to his now iconic framing device of his lead writing in a journal to enter his mind and highlight the intensity within. Edgerton is angry and frustrated at his inability to move on from the life he once lived and the position he currently finds himself in. There is an innocence to his character by Edgerton that gives the character a needed humanity. Edgerton is equally intense as he is tender with a controlled fire that is rarely seen to this level of success. In supporting roles, both Quintessa Swindell and Sigourney Weaver. Swindell immediately holds their ground with a kind yet powerful performance that finds immediate chemistry with Edgerton. While some of their big moments might lose some impact due to flaws within the screenplay, Swindell is continually flawless and is one of the brightest young actors seen in recent memory. While Weaver is far from being that big of a revelation, her devilish outing strikes with an entertaining venom that finds a completely unique form of chemistry with Edgerton that is immediately memorable.
While Master Gardener might not be a total masterpiece like First Reformed or The Card Counter, the film is still an overall excellent feature. Schrader tackles yet another impossible subject with a humanity and love that defies expectations and delivers a uniquely poignant final product. While it would have been nice to see Schrader focus his attention more to cut the moments of inauthentic expression, the film survives with a strong story that continues to prove the talent and ability of Schrader.