Movie Review

Film Review: MASTER GARDENER (2022): Paul Schrader Delivers an Effective Dramatic Film with Solid Performances

Quintessa Swindell Joel Edgerton Master Gardener

Master Gardener Review

Master Gardener (2022) Film Review, a movie written and directed by Paul Schrader and starring Joel Edgerton, Sigourney Weaver, Quintessa Swindell, Esai Morales, Eduardo Losan, Victoria Hill, Amy Le, Erika Ashley, Timothy McKinney, Jared Bankens, Matt Mercurio, Christian Freeman, Emily Russell, Jeff Figallo, Sean Richmond, Monica R. Harris, Rick Cosnett and Bruce Mohat.

Director Paul Schrader has followed up two superb films, First Reformed and The Card Counter, with a very good one, Master Gardener. If Master Gardener suffers just a bit when comparing it to Schrader’s last two pictures,  the new movie still stands out from the other two significantly even if you could find striking similarities in the three main male characters of those individual films. The biggest revelation of Master Gardener is the intelligent supporting turn by Quintessa Swindell who plays a pivotal role in Schrader’s latest movie and helps make the film a unique entry in Schrader’s distinguished career.

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Sigourney Weaver is one of the best actresses of her generation and she makes a grand entrance in Schrader’s new film. Weaver expertly plays Norma Haverhill, the head of Gracewood Gardens where the film’s main character, Narvel Roth (Joel Edgerton) is the head horticulturist. A conversation between Norma and Narvel sets the plot into motion as the two sit on the porch of Haverhill’s beautiful estate. It seems Norma’s great niece, Maya Core (Swindell) is in need of some work and Norma enlists Narvel to take her on to his team. Norma will pay Maya’s salary but she wants some focus in Maya’s life.

Maya is of mixed race and is only 20ish-years old. Narvel takes great efforts to help her excel in the new chapter in her life. Narvel is a man in his 40’s but, during the course of the film, a romance develops between these two characters. There is a twist in the plot that shows us the tattoos that Narvel has which help establish him as a former racist who believed in “white power” and the tattoos also include the use of swastikas. Weaver’s Norma would not be happy at the revelation of a relationship between Narvel and Maya which makes their romance something of a forbidden relationship which is further complicated by the fact that Maya has not seen the tattoos on Narvel’s body in the early stages of the picture.

When comparing Master Gardener to Schrader’s previous two movies, there are some downsides to the new film. The biggest problem with the latest movie is the expectations Schrader has set with his previous work are not fully met. The ending of Master Gardener feels just a little incomplete and almost like the director has conformed to the conventions of having a somewhat typical “Hollywood” ending. It’s still a signature Schrader movie but the end lacks the requisite edge the director is best known for. Also, some characters in the supporting cast are not as fully fleshed out as they could have been and essentially serve the mechanics of the plot…but this is essentially a three-character piece and still works as such.

Joel Edgerton has never been better. He brings a great deal of complexity to a man who has changed considerably and becomes a more complete person as he learns the error of his racist ways through his relationship with Maya. Swindell is a major asset to the picture, however. She plays her role in an unconventional way as she interacts with Narvel. We’re never quite sure if Maya will change her opinion about Narvel or seek deeper understanding of the way he once was. This makes the movie unpredictable for a large portion of the film’s running time.

A great scene has Narvel and Maya sticking their heads out of the window of a moving car at night as some beautiful flowers are displayed on screen with some terrifically inspired lighting. It’s a scene that helps define the  passion these characters have towards the work that they do.

There are also less than stellar scenes such as when some key characters do damage to Gracewood Gardens. This part of the movie felt tacked on and only acts as a catalyst for Narvel to choose between two forms of violence to get payback for what was done. I also could have done without the voice-over narration which spells out everything to the viewer which should be told through images rather than through this kind of narration.

When Weaver’s Norma pulls a gun on Narvel, it makes for a truly inspired scene with a resolve which certainly shall not be revealed here. Weaver plays her role as the quintessential estate owner who knows horticulture like the back of her hand. Edgerton is masterful at playing off Weaver who is one of the all-time great actresses. The acting in the movie by the three principals is simply first-rate with Swindell making her character one with great depth that is quite layered which is surprising given the character’s young age.

With Master Gardener, Schrader has added another probing character study to his impressive resume. Its plot lacks the genuine one-two-three punch of First Reformed and the deep complexity of The Card Counter. Instead, Schrader focuses on a love story which is just as relevant and meaningful as any of the themes he has explored in his previous pictures. Master Gardener is not to be written off as one of Schrader’s lesser efforts because it still leaves the audience with that sort of uneasy feeling that packs a huge wallop only the conclusion this time is a bit happier than your typical Schrader picture if that makes sense.

Rating: 7.5/10

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Thomas Duffy

Thomas Duffy is a graduate of the Pace University New York City campus and has been an avid movie fan all of his life. In college, he interviewed film stars such as Minnie Driver and Richard Dreyfuss as well as directors such as Tom DiCillo and Mark Waters. He is the author of nine works of fiction available on Amazon. He's been reviewing movies since his childhood and posts his opinions on social media. You can follow him on Twitter. His user handle is @auctionguy28.
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