P.T. Anderson: Every Feature Film RANKED

The Master is Anderson's personal favourite of his films, following navy veteran Freddie Quell (Joaquin Phoenix) as he struggles to adjust to post-war life, eventually meeting and becoming involved with Lancaster Dodd (Philip Seymour Hoffman), the wealthy head of a religious movement called 'The Cause.' Based upon the real beginnings of Scientology and its founder, as well as aspects of author John Steinbeck's life, and a few other disparate sources, The Master is a subtle yet complex psychological drama, anchored in its two monumental central performances from Phoenix and Hoffman.

First and foremost, filmed in 70mm (the first feature since Kenneth Branagh's Hamlet to be shot and released in that format), The Master is a gorgeous film to look at. But for all its sumptuous visuals and technical merits capturing the period feel of postwar America, The Master is a film which lives or dies by the quality of its actors and the acting on show here is of the highest sort.

Nominated for three Oscars - Best Actor (Phoenix), Best Supporting Actor (Hoffman), and Best Supporting Actress (Amy Adams) - The Master is an exquisitely performed drama, laced with such subtly and nuance as to merit many repeat viewings.