Freddie, a volatile, heavy-drinking veteran who suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder, finds some semblance of a family when he stumbles onto the ship of Lancaster Dodd, the charismatic leader of a new "religion" he forms after World War II.
Acting
Phoenix and Hoffman locked in a two-hander for the ages.
Cinematography
65mm film that makes grain feel like velvet and poison.
Score
Jonny Greenwood's strings buzz like anxious insects.
Director
Paul Thomas Anderson
Joaquin Phoenix
Freddie Quell
Philip Seymour Hoffman
Lancaster Dodd
Amy Adams
Peggy Dodd
Rami Malek
Clark
Laura Dern
Helen Sullivan
Jesse Plemons
Val Dodd
Ambyr Childers
Elizabeth Dodd
Madisen Beaty
Doris Solstad
Kevin J. O'Connor
Bill White
Patty McCormack
Mildred Drummond
Lena Endre
Mrs. Solstad
Barbara Brownell
Margaret O'Brien
Amy Ferguson
Martha the Salesgirl
Jennifer Neala Page
Winn Manchester
Christopher Evan Welch
John More
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Anderson denies it's about Scientology, but Lancaster's timeline mirrors L. Ron Hubbard's 1950s rise—down to the boat and the 'processing' techniques.
Phoenix based Freddie's posture on a photo of a man recovering from nervous exhaustion—shoulders forward, head cocked, permanently braced for impact.
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