Going Clear

I don't believe there is any reason to believe that such gullibility is a biological trait of humans, rather than a culturally-ingrained trait.

My real name is Jeff

I think your post is about control over the general population, I would argue that "The Master" is saying the exact opposite in some ways.

Phoenix's character is the embodiment of someone that is without a master, he can't be tamed by Hoffman. While Phoenix tries to go through the group's initiation and breath in its rules, he ends up choosing to disconnect from Hoffman 'The Master' at the very end; thus it can be said that Phoenix is the master of himself through his own recklessness - the rules of society do not bound him down.

There are many scenes and themes that support this:
-Phoenix masturbating on the beach (goes against all social norms)
-Phoenix just jumping into a boat full of strangers (trespassing into a group of people he does not know of)
-Him giving mixed chemicals to Hoffman
-Him killing someone
-Beating someone on the street
-etc.

Even with The Masters love (pseudo-homosexual overtones) for Phoenix's character, The Master can not keep him around.

The very fact that the American society is actively judging most aspects of our own government supports the idea that we don't blindly trust them.

The two questions that drive indiviuals to seek out "false prophets and superstitious gods": where did we come from and where do we go when we die? They answer one or both typically. They have to satisfy us in one of those ways. Satisfaction is a big theme in this movie.

I think that while, inarguably, there are overtones of Scientology, I believe it isn't the crux of the film. This may be why Hoffman was quite abrupt with people when they brought up that part of the story to him. Everything I've read from Hoffman and Anderson suggest that it's about a vet, who was already damaged to begin with, who comes home from seeing and doing horrific things. The military certainly wouldn't take responsibility for it and, you know, offer clinical help. So the "greatest generation" drank and in some case hooked up with crazy clubs.

Freddie is damaged, no question. He has strange fantasies and has endured all types of pain. The Master tries to explore others in the movie who MAY be damaged or are just primal. We do come from apes after all.

The question I come to in the movie is, at the end: Is Freddie better, worse off, or the same after meeting and dealing with Dodd and his crazy Scientology sheep?

I come to the conclusion that he's the same...an ape/dragon that cannot be tamed.

I agree, alkimia.






Schrodinger's cat walks into a bar and doesn't.