Anderson Film ‘Masters’ Post-War America

We first meet Navy man Freddie Quell (Joaquin Phoenix) at the dawn of a new American era. World War II has just ended. America is preparing to venture into the idealism and boom of a post-war era. Men will soon be returning to their wives and girlfriends to start families. As we soon see, however, there is little place in civilian life for the likes of the damaged Freddie. The opening scenes show him lounging around, wasting away in a fog of booze and other assorted substances. When he’s not committing lewd acts in public or instigating random, violent skirmishes,…