Master Joel

I first saw Paul Schrader's new film Master Gardener, which stars Joel Edgerton as a former white supremacist turned horticulturist and Sigourney Weaver as his Plantation-owning boss, at NYFF last fall.  And then I saw it again a few weeks ago, in preparation for its release in theaters today. But it wasn't until I started writing about it for my review that I was really able to suss out  how much it actually has going on beneath its surface. So I don't think I even begin to scrape off its many layers in my Mashable review, read it here, but I try. What I was really aiming for is how the film's ambiguities are its strengths, but not in the shallowly provocative way you might expect. I think Schrader's light touch -- and yes, Paul Schrader uses a light touch here! -- enriches the film in ways that become more obvious the longer you sit with it. Also Sigourney Weaver's real good, and that helps. Anyway go read my thoughts, go see the movie and let me know what you think, and here's the trailer: