Many ecosystems benefit from controlled fires. The act of burning to rebuild is a natural phenomenon that has occurred for thousands of years; even though it may look counterintuitive from the outside, what we view as destruction is actually a chance for regrowth and expansion. Visionary writer-director Paul Schrader takes the theme of rebirth to challenging depths in his latest film Master Gardener, a meditative study on shedding the skin of the past in an attempt at full-bodied metamorphosis.
Joel Edgerton takes the lead as Narvel Roth, a skilled horticulturist who oversees the abundance of foliage at the historic Gracewood Gardens. Narvel takes his work very seriously; his demeanor while holding a flower is as stoic and measured as if he was handling a hand grenade. His employer, Mrs. Haverhill (Sigourney Weaver), admires Narvel’s commitment to her garden and expresses her gratitude freely, oftentimes physically. Mrs. Haverhill knows she can get Narvel to willfully bend to her demands and so, one day, she informs him that her great-niece Maya (Quintessa Swindell) will be his new apprentice. Narvel, begrudgingly, accepts.
When Maya arrives at Gracewood Gardens, her presence is initially seen in opposition to Marvel and his small team of fellow horticulturists. Maya has no experience but seems receptive to learning the trade. Narvel knows that Maya is only under his supervision because of Mrs. Haverhill’s attempt to keep her off the streets and away from the crowd she’s currently caught up in, so he cuts her some slack. As the days become easier for both Narvel and Maya, their relationship grows into an unexpected entanglement of feelings, desires, and secrets.
Suppressed violence is at the root of Paul Schrader’s drama, making for a rich juxtaposition between the beauty of the present and the darkness of the past. Narvel’s current rehabilitated image may be one of gentleness and care but his previous dealing as a white supremacist hitman is never far from the surface. The film’s tension comes from the growing love story between Narvel and Maya, a black woman. He can only conceal his swastika-bearing tattoos for so long, and his growing existential crisis threatens to blow up his newly-curated life, his relationship with Maya, and his future.
For all of the film’s darker themes, Master Gardener emits a vibrant frequency through the cinematography and the score. We dip into surrealism for a moment in the film’s third act, and the visuals draw parallels to the whimsicalness of Disney’s Fantasia. Set to hypnotic synth-forward melodies from Devonté Hynes, who also performs as Blood Orange, the soundtrack is also the perfect moody supplement to an already tense film. The score works well as a standalone piece too (which I listened to while writing this review – you can too, here).
Ultimately, Master Gardener is a story about a man’s search for redemption. Thematically, Schrader doesn’t stray far from his last two films, The Card Counter and First Reformed (the latter of which made my top 10 list in 2017), so fans or critics can expect as much from his “man in the room” storyline here. It’s not a lighthearted affair, but the heftiness is not without incredibly powerful performances and breathtaking views of the natural world.
Distributed by Magnolia Pictures. Now playing in select theaters.
