THE MASTER SPOILERS
Mind is blank because there are so many great choies here but regarding The Master, I don't think enough people realise how incredible the last 15 or so minutes are. This is pretty much the cinema scene to the end. Right after meeting Mrs Solstad- Freddie realises his that his chance with Doris isover, the one thing that may have made him happy at last. So he finds his way back to Master after possibly dreaming contact with him. The Casper cartoon is great- I love the end of that scene where he get's up and a character says 'A Captain never leaves his ship!' And then we cut to the waves (with Sweetness of Freddie playing, one of the more sorrowful pieces). Then we have that final meeting, where there's just to much cool stuff happening. The final part of that scene is so special- after Slow Boat to China, Freddie has a half smile. It's like a realisation and acceptance for him. And during this half-smile, Overtones starts playing and this lasts until the end of the film (for the most part). Overtones is the most important piece on the entire score, it's remarkably bittersweet and I that's how I feel about the film. It's not a devastating tragedy, nor it is absurdly and horrific, it's bittersweet. Freddie realises that he must move on- Master is still in love with Freddie, but he knows the relationship can't last. I don't think this marks a drastic shift in Freddie's identity but I think there's a newfound acceptance and peace in him. And this is why the film ends the way it does. He drifts, finds a girl in a bar and in the next scene, they're in bed together. Overtones still playing. Freddie asks her about past lives, while he himself is recalling the past. Then finally Freddie at the beach and 'Changing Partners'. It puzzled me on the first viewing as much as it set my mind on fire. I can't imagine any other directors being able to end a film like that, with Winn Manchester and Freddie in bed, there's an overwhelming sense of openness and humanity, it's incredible. It's doubly fascinating with Overtones playing. Technically, aesthetically and emotionally, these scenes together hit all the right spots and I think it might be PTA's apex as a director. I wrote more than I intended and it's all a mess (and I've written about it before) but yeah, I feel very strongly about the film.