Enter Lancaster Dodd, played by Philip Seymour Hoffman. Dodd is everything Freddie is not: articulate, educated, composed, and charming. He is the leader of "The Cause," a nascent philosophical movement that claims to heal trauma by accessing past lives. If Freddie is the body, Dodd is the mind. He is the "Master," not because he possesses supernatural powers, but because he offers a structure—a cage—within which Freddie’s chaotic spirit might be housed.

: Known as "The Master," he is the founder of " The Cause ," a philosophical movement with pseudo-scientific methods similar to early Scientology .

The truly disturbing thesis of The Master -2012- is that Lancaster Dodd might actually believe his own lies. Hoffman plays Dodd with a terrifying sincerity. When he sings “Slow Boat to China” with Freddie in a jail cell, there is no irony. There is only a desperate, lonely man trying to connect with another desperate, lonely man.

Directed by , The Master (2012) is an elusive, psychological drama centered on the volatile relationship between a traumatized World War II veteran and a charismatic cult leader. Core Narrative and Characters

The Master -2012- -

Enter Lancaster Dodd, played by Philip Seymour Hoffman. Dodd is everything Freddie is not: articulate, educated, composed, and charming. He is the leader of "The Cause," a nascent philosophical movement that claims to heal trauma by accessing past lives. If Freddie is the body, Dodd is the mind. He is the "Master," not because he possesses supernatural powers, but because he offers a structure—a cage—within which Freddie’s chaotic spirit might be housed.

: Known as "The Master," he is the founder of " The Cause ," a philosophical movement with pseudo-scientific methods similar to early Scientology .

The truly disturbing thesis of The Master -2012- is that Lancaster Dodd might actually believe his own lies. Hoffman plays Dodd with a terrifying sincerity. When he sings “Slow Boat to China” with Freddie in a jail cell, there is no irony. There is only a desperate, lonely man trying to connect with another desperate, lonely man.

Directed by , The Master (2012) is an elusive, psychological drama centered on the volatile relationship between a traumatized World War II veteran and a charismatic cult leader. Core Narrative and Characters