I understood everything that went on (well 95%) but I’m still not certain what’s it’s supposed to all mean. Maybe that’s the sign of a good film is that I’m still thinking about it a day later. Ultimately I think it’s saying that you are who you are and that even though you can learn to mimic somebody that doesn’t mean you understand them. Maybe that’s overly simplistic.
There were only a couple of scenes that I had trouble understanding Phoenix, and I thought he was slurring his words on purpose because he was supposed to be particularly inebriated, e.g. the scene where he recounts the dream about his mother to the Naval officer and his first meeting with the Master. But you’re right about the mouth thing. Between that and the way Freddie holds his arms to his sides (his palms against his upper torso), I felt like I could do a recognizable Freddie Quell for Halloween. I just need some very high-waisted pants.
We spent a lot of time staring at a close-up of Joaquin Phoenix’s face and it looks to me like he has a pretty significant scar in the upper lip region. Did he have a cleft palate growing up? Maybe he drew that into his Freddie.
I thought it was a cleft palate scar for years, but then I read an interview where he said that it was just a birthmark.
My reaction to this film, as a die hard P.T. Anderson fan, was that he had made a Terrence Malick film. Which, I have to admit, is better than Terrence Malick making a Terrence Malick film, but still …
It’s my new least favorite P.T. Anderson film, but it might grow on me.