An unstable veteran with post-traumatic stress meets a soul that he resonates with in the shape of the charismatic leader of the Cause.
A Paul Thomas Anderson drama, which means intensity, characters with a questionable morality, various possible interpretations of everything, a cold toned cinematography with tangible strong contrasts that have an emotionally devastating color effect.
Philip Seymour Hoffman is as usual a presence that steals the stage, but the strength of Joaquin Phoenix's performance is impossible to overlook (not quite true from the point of view of the Academy Awards it seems though, as he didn't receive the Oscar he was nominated for in 2013, which went to Daniel Day-Lewis instead). His ability to portray unlikable characters, victims of multiple internal struggles with an intense expressivity that could cut is almost indescribable. The story itself is actually interesting, offering up a little piece of history, slightly embellished, based on the beginnings of the Church of Scientology.
Director: Paul Thomas Anderson
With: Philip Seymour Hoffman, Joaquin Phoenix, Amy Adams, Jesse Plemons
Rating: 9/10
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