Master GardenerTo look back on the mistakes of the past requires a philosophical outlook, like that of a gardener; otherwise, one can quickly sink into the black earth of regret. Master Gardener is a suspenseful crime movie about a man named Narvel Roth (Joel Edgerton)--a reformed killer who was once a member of a violent white supremacist faction. Narvel turned states evidence many years past, and was given a new chance at life as a master gardener at Gracewood Gardens. His job comes at the pleasure of the owner of Gracewood Gardens, the wealthy dowager, Norma Haverhill (Sigourney Weaver). One day, Norma asks Narvel to take on her mixed race grandniece, Maya (Quintessa Swindell), as an apprentice, and as a result turn her away from her self-destructive lifestyle.
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Written and directed by Paul Schrader, Master Gardener is essentially the last of a trilogy of films--including First Reformed and The Card Counter--focusing on men who attempt to order their lives to quell their inner demons. There are constants between the films. The men, including Narvel, all write their thoughts into a diary, which has the benefit of inviting the audience into the thoughts of these protagonists. Yet even with such a window into the soul as this, much of what we know of Narvel remains masked in mystery. He seems to speak in code at times, even to himself, as though he dares not risk conjuring up those demons rooted deep within his soul with a stray thought. Attentive audiences will nevertheless see the shadow of who he is through his behavior and some of his idioms--and most provocatively, once his tattoos are revealed to us. I find that discussing Master Gardener without spoiling important details about the experience would be impossible. After all, I've already done so by revealing his shameful past, and this isn't revealed to us until roughly fifteen minutes into the film in a shocking display that blindsides us...mostly. Like Schrader's earlier films in this series, Master Gardener is a quiet character study at its core; calling it a "crime" movie seems like just a default description instead of truly conveying what is felt and presented here. There is little violence, but the few instances of it in Master Gardener are shocking. Not just in its method, but in the way that Master Gardener successfully invites you into its naturalism and appreciation of life as a horticulturist, where even the thought of violence feels antithetical. The pinnacle of this paradox between destruction and caretaking comes in a moment when Narvel threatens to use his pruning shears to remove someone's fingers. Like Schrader's prior films, the joy in watching Master Gardener comes by watching its protagonist allow his mask to fall and as a result experience a profound revelation. What little of Narvel's past we experience is depicted through minimal flashes from his dreams or memories; it's evident that he doesn't wish to revisit these times. And yet, there the ambiguity we feel when Narvel first removes his shirt in front of his mirror lingers. His back is replete with swastikas and other Nazi iconography, with "White Power" emblazoned on his shoulders. Narvel and his tattoos recall another repentant movie neo-Nazi: Derek Vinyard from American History X, played by Edward Norton in a tour de force performance. Like an echo of that role, Edgerton is expertly cast as a modern day tough guy, but one who conveys a vulnerability masked by a multitude of layers of nigh-ascetic order and discipline. For much of the beginning of Master Gardener, it would be easy to justify this by thinking that Narvel merely had a military background, splicing in phrases like "locked and loaded" into his instructions to the staff of Gracewood Gardens in preparation for the next charity gala Norma is planning. Yet these turns of phrase make their way into his narration, too, which leaves us constantly questioning whether Narvel has truly left behind his past or not. The ambiguity is only made all the stronger with a point he makes about "seeds" being viable even after hundreds of years, and his subsequent comparison between the "seeds of hate" and the "seeds of love". Which will win out in Narvel when the end comes?
As with Schrader's earlier two films, Master Gardener could be described as a "philosophical" drama. There are similarities and counterpoints between Narvel and Maya. There is little exposition, instead inviting the audience to conclude much of these characters' values by way of their loaded dialogue and through inference. One could easily believe that despite outward appearances, Narvel still harbors the belief system from his erstwhile life. It also quickly becomes clear that Norma is not only fully aware of Narvel's past, but subtly exploits his secret. Their relationship is a complicated one; it includes sex, but not for a moment is there the suggestion that either of them loves one another. Power is a constant in the world of Master Gardener; some have it, and others don't, and Narvel is painfully aware of this truth. Narvel doesn't only accept his new life of subservience, he embraces it. Does this come from guilt, or as a result of some other form of self-punishment? He makes rules for himself--like limiting himself to a single cigarette a day--and adheres to his regimen...mostly. And this is the intriguing part of Master Gardener, exemplified best when Narvel writes in his journal how there are times when a carefully constructed life of rules sometimes necessitates that a rule needs to be "broken". After Maya shows up injured and bloodied at work one morning, Narvel contacts one of the few people who knows about his sorted past: a U.S. Marshall named Oscar Neruda (Esai Morales). They meet up for breakfast at an almost comical Fifties diner where they always do for their quarterly check-ins. At risk of self-exposure, Narvel takes it upon himself to see that the assailant--Maya's boyfriend, a drug dealer who goes calls himself "R. G." (Jared Bankens)--is threatened with arrest should he strike Maya again. Despite Narvel's outward desire for justice and to protect his protégée, in truth Narvel is indulging an old addiction: the thrill to invoke fear and inflict pain. Narvel is a wonderfully conflicted protagonist, at once both enthralled by the complexity and life-giving nature of gardening, yet poisoned by a past where violence gave him a drug-like high. Once this starts to resurface, it's evident that Narvel has imposed this spartan routine upon himself because failure to do so means increasing the likelihood of backsliding into a life that would surely destroy him, as it destroyed so many others. In this, Narvel finds camaraderie in Maya, recognizing that she too is an "addict", even if she may be a high-functioning one. When circumstances put them on the road and they have no one other than themselves to rely upon, moments of truth that pass between them. These events challenge them but make their bond stronger. Of all of Schrader's most recent "man in a room" stories, Master Gardener proves to be one of the most uplifting ones. As Narvel observes, "gardening is a belief in the future". From the start, the film has beautiful stop-motion imagery of gorgeous orchids unfurling...living and awakening to a new world, one where the sun washes down on all of God's creations. One where forgiveness means living for the future, and letting the past lay buried under the loamy earth.
Recommended for: Fans of a deeply meditative and introspective character study, which elegantly avoids excessive exposition in favor of allowing the audience to draw its own conclusions through inference and nuance. It's a rare treat these days to see a film tackle the contentious topic of racism in an informed and intelligent way without coming at the expense of story and character, and Paul Schrader does so with such an assured hand that befits the film's title. Incidentally, for horticulture enthusiasts, Master Gardener is surprisingly knowledgeable about its subject matter, so even if you may not relish Schrader's metier on its own, gardeners (masters or otherwise) should find much enjoyment here as well.
As with Schrader's earlier two films, Master Gardener could be described as a "philosophical" drama. There are similarities and counterpoints between Narvel and Maya. There is little exposition, instead inviting the audience to conclude much of these characters' values by way of their loaded dialogue and through inference. One could easily believe that despite outward appearances, Narvel still harbors the belief system from his erstwhile life. It also quickly becomes clear that Norma is not only fully aware of Narvel's past, but subtly exploits his secret. Their relationship is a complicated one; it includes sex, but not for a moment is there the suggestion that either of them loves one another. Power is a constant in the world of Master Gardener; some have it, and others don't, and Narvel is painfully aware of this truth. Narvel doesn't only accept his new life of subservience, he embraces it. Does this come from guilt, or as a result of some other form of self-punishment? He makes rules for himself--like limiting himself to a single cigarette a day--and adheres to his regimen...mostly. And this is the intriguing part of Master Gardener, exemplified best when Narvel writes in his journal how there are times when a carefully constructed life of rules sometimes necessitates that a rule needs to be "broken". After Maya shows up injured and bloodied at work one morning, Narvel contacts one of the few people who knows about his sorted past: a U.S. Marshall named Oscar Neruda (Esai Morales). They meet up for breakfast at an almost comical Fifties diner where they always do for their quarterly check-ins. At risk of self-exposure, Narvel takes it upon himself to see that the assailant--Maya's boyfriend, a drug dealer who goes calls himself "R. G." (Jared Bankens)--is threatened with arrest should he strike Maya again. Despite Narvel's outward desire for justice and to protect his protégée, in truth Narvel is indulging an old addiction: the thrill to invoke fear and inflict pain. Narvel is a wonderfully conflicted protagonist, at once both enthralled by the complexity and life-giving nature of gardening, yet poisoned by a past where violence gave him a drug-like high. Once this starts to resurface, it's evident that Narvel has imposed this spartan routine upon himself because failure to do so means increasing the likelihood of backsliding into a life that would surely destroy him, as it destroyed so many others. In this, Narvel finds camaraderie in Maya, recognizing that she too is an "addict", even if she may be a high-functioning one. When circumstances put them on the road and they have no one other than themselves to rely upon, moments of truth that pass between them. These events challenge them but make their bond stronger. Of all of Schrader's most recent "man in a room" stories, Master Gardener proves to be one of the most uplifting ones. As Narvel observes, "gardening is a belief in the future". From the start, the film has beautiful stop-motion imagery of gorgeous orchids unfurling...living and awakening to a new world, one where the sun washes down on all of God's creations. One where forgiveness means living for the future, and letting the past lay buried under the loamy earth.
Recommended for: Fans of a deeply meditative and introspective character study, which elegantly avoids excessive exposition in favor of allowing the audience to draw its own conclusions through inference and nuance. It's a rare treat these days to see a film tackle the contentious topic of racism in an informed and intelligent way without coming at the expense of story and character, and Paul Schrader does so with such an assured hand that befits the film's title. Incidentally, for horticulture enthusiasts, Master Gardener is surprisingly knowledgeable about its subject matter, so even if you may not relish Schrader's metier on its own, gardeners (masters or otherwise) should find much enjoyment here as well.