Directed by Academy Award® nominee Paul Schrader 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.
Review (Scott Mc Cutcheon 21/06/23)
Going into the Master Gardner with as little knowledge of
the plot is a good thing as director Paul Schrader drip feeds his audience with
just enough information to keep his story moving along.
Slow at times but always gripping the Master Gardner works
so well thanks to a cast that are at the peak of their powers, Joel Edgerton oozes charisma
so much so that you can see why the female characters all love him, despite
what we, the audience, know about him. Sigourney Weaver, who is in only a
handful of scenes almost steals Edgerton’s thunder as the resentful and spiteful
“lord of the manor”.
The Master Gardner is a slow burner but let the story wash
over you and what you end up with is a film that will reward its audience's
patience.
Highly recommended
