Paul Schrader’s last two films suggested that he re-discovered his niche as a director and mastered it. Master Gardener proves otherwise
★★✰✰✰
The great French director Jean Renoir once stated that ‘A director makes only one movie in his life, then he breaks it up and makes it again’. Paul Schrader’s filmography is one that makes Renoir’s statement appear to be concrete. Master Gardener is another rendition of Schrader’s focus upon ‘God’s lonely man’, following films which he scripted such as Taxi Driver and Raging Bull. It also concludes an unofficial trilogy of films which focus upon this character type, the other two entries being First Reformed and The Card Counter.
Unfortunately, in comparison with Schrader’s other work, Master Gardener is bitterly disappointing. It lacks the moodiness of Taxi Driver, the challenging themes of First Reformed. More importantly, it lacks the coherence of good filmmaking in general.
The film follows Narvel Roth (Joel Edgerton), a talented horticulturist working for Norma Haverhill (Sigourney Weaver). His seemingly peaceful life is disrupted by the arrival of Mya, Norma’s troubled and grieving grand-niece (Quintessa Swindell). Master Gardener‘s plot bears clear similarities to Schrader’s other recent works. This isn’t a problem in and of itself, but Schrader doesn’t try anything particularly new with this version of the story. First Reformed saw its reverend protagonist challenged by loss of faith, brought on by a climate activist and his realisation of the climate crisis. The Card Counter saw its PTSD-ridden gambler submerged in anxiety by reminders of his past. Master Gardener, on the other hand, sees its horticulturist clumsily forgiven for a past as a Neo-Nazi.
Schrader’s approach to this extreme forgiveness is slippery and feels terribly misguided. Films on forgiveness can be, and have been, great in the past. Examples include Nagisa Oshima’s masterful Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence or even Schrader’s previous work. The Card Counter‘s statement on redemption and forgiveness is still challenging, but deeply moving and fully earned by its story and characters. Master Gardener‘s theme of forgiveness awkwardly and confusingly engages with race politics, feeling almost completely weightless. Its treatment of its characters and their dynamics are troubling, and Schrader’s script is to blame for this. Scenes feel empty, and some elements appear to be missing entirely, due to the awkwardness of the dialogue. More importantly, the film’s questions regarding race and forgiveness simply shouldn’t have been asked by Schrader. Even if he could be the right person to ask, he asks those questions poorly, failing to explore them effectively.
The film’s sloppy use of metaphors is another issue with the writing. Haverhill’s garden is eerily reminiscent of a plantation, she owns a German-made Luger (used in the first and second World Wars). Plants are represented as a symbol for change as the opening monologue sees Roth explain that ‘gardening is a belief in the future (…) that change will come’, but this theme of change is never fully realised or developed. The film’s finale skirts around these ideas, but it never commits to any one in particular, instead finding itself buried in the weeds rather than unknotting them. Its apparent critiques of America’s colonial past are present but never explored fully. The relationship between Roth and Mya is also deeply troubling.
The film isn’t entirely without merit, however. The editing is strong up until the film’s last few scenes, when the editing style suddenly becomes more expressionistic and unpredictable. Alexander Dynan’s cinematography isn’t as good as his previous work, but still brings great visual interest to certain scenes. Devonte Hynes’ score, similar to the work of Robert Levon Been on The Card Counter, is simplistic and moody. Schrader uses Hynes’ score sparingly to add to the film’s moody atmosphere. The set design, however, leaves many locations feeling distractingly empty.
Schrader’s Bressonian use of (relatively) unknown actors also continues in his supporting cast, to varying degrees of success. Joel Edgerton is quite strong, as is Weaver (of course, both are stars), but others struggle. Swindell’s Mya is sometimes convincing, but fails to portray the intensity necessary in later scenes. Eduardo Losan has few lines but is good in his smaller role.
However, some decent performances aren’t enough to save Master Gardener. The film is too messy and too troubling for its story to be truly felt. It blocks out its own catharsis by bringing in too many varying elements and failing to bring them together. It’s a great shame, as Schrader’s last two films are two of the best of the last ten years, but Master Gardener is a poorly made film. It feels much like a first draft as opposed to a realised story.
The Verdict
Schrader’s new film is disappointing as it struggles under the weight of its own screenplay. Its flaws majorly outweigh its positive elements, and its morals are, at the very least, questionable. Master Gardener seems to be well intentioned, but it isn’t cautious enough to function.
Words by Reece Beckett
Master Gardener will release in UK cinemas on the 26th April 2023.
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