Master Gardener (2023)
Master Gardener
”Devoted gardener faces chaos when forced to mentor troubled apprentice, uncovering dark secrets.”
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Master Gardener is another film by Paul Schrader (First Reformed) that leaves you uncomfortable from beginning to end. In the plot, we follow the story of a gardener (Joel Edgerton) working at the home of a stern woman (Sigourney Weaver), who hides a dark past. Things change when the grandniece (Quintessa Swindell) of the boss arrives to work on the gardening team. Without making concessions, Schrader is relentless in this powerful drama. Although it also speaks about new beginnings and opportunities to follow a new path, the filmmaker — also known for writing masterpieces like Taxi Driver — shows that ideas are not simply destroyed, but continue to exist, transforming and taking on new facets. And why does it make you so uncomfortable? Simple: Schrader hides his thoughts about this story and these new beginnings until the very last second, being relentless, however, when he tests his genius at the final moment. And it is also necessary to highlight the work of an impeccable cast, with Edgerton showing, once again, that he is one of the best actors working today.
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Plot summary
Directed by Academy Award® nominee Paul Schrader (First Reformed, The Card Counter) based on his original screenplay, Master Gardener follows Narvel Roth (award-winner Joel Edgerton), the meticulous horticulturist of Gracewood Gardens. He is as much devoted to tending the grounds of this beautiful and historic estate, to pandering to his employer, the wealthy dowager Mrs. Haverhill (three-time Academy Award® nominee Sigourney Weaver). When Mrs. Haverhill demands that he take on her wayward and troubled great-niece Maya (Quintessa Swindell) as a new apprentice, chaos enters Narvel’s spartan existence, unlocking dark secrets from a buried violent past that threaten them all.
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From the same director
First Reformed
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