The Mastermind, a master at their craft, poised on the backdrop of witty jazz music.
A film that seems to have divided audiences, but I cannot help but absolutely adore it, as it has not left my thoughts since my first viewing, and I grow exponentially excited for a future second one.
The Mastermind, Kelly Reichardt’s latest film, is now playing in theatres after a beautiful festival run at Cannes, back in May, the Telluride Film Festival, the Toronto International Film Festival, among others, and the Festival du Nouveau Cinema, where I had the opportunity to see it.
Josh O’Connor stars as fictional James Blaine “JB“ Mooney, an unemployed carpenter who has one peculiar specialty: robbing art museums. When his first big heist turns to utter chaos, he has no other choice but to flee his family, his loving wife, wonderfully played by Alana Haim, and escape his life in order to retain freedom.
The mastery of The Mastermind is that instead of centering the heist as the poser for a cacophonous thriller, which was expected by some audience members but would have been at odds with Reichardt’s usual minimalist style, the event is used as merely a passing moment into a broader portrait of a man’s insubstantial life. It is an entry into JB’s world, rather than the core of the narrative. The film does not paint the portrait of a criminal leading a perilous but exhilarating life, but of a father and husband, who doesn’t really find any meaning to his existence and is lost professionally as well as, if not more, personally. A man who wanders rather than conduct, stands in a corner rather than occupy the center stage of his own narrative. And the heist is simply an example among many others, of not only a failure, but a lack of active participation for his own account.
Beautifully directed, it is especially its editing that gives the film a certain tone. Scenes a second too long, letting the awkwardness and unease simmer just a tad too much, making the audience privy spectators to JB’s lack of control in every aspect of his life, cinematically translated by the scenes running even after his word has been said or his action has been completed and he remains there, waiting, a spectator as well to his daily occurrences.
But the film, and the tone of it, wouldn’t have worked as well if it weren’t for two other aspects. The first one is the central performance, with Josh O’Connor completely disappearing into the incredible sweaters of JB, embodying the rather miserable man to a point where his character becomes transcendent and captivating even through the most mundane actions. As his eyes keep handfuls of unsaid thoughts and his shoulders bear years of exhaustion and self-questioning, his wanderings are lulled by the phenomenal score, the second aspect creating the perfect atmosphere. Jazz, pure and unaltered jazz, settles into our ears for the whole runtime, perfectly matching the autumnal 1970s where the story takes place. Rob Mazurek creates what is probably my favorite score of the year so far, a witty-paced jazz that gives rhythm to the structure of the film, bringing soulful depth to the general ambiance.
The Mastermind is a film that seems to have divided audiences, but I cannot help but absolutely adore it, as it has not left my thoughts since my first viewing, and I grow exponentially excited for a future second one.
The Mastermind is now playing in theatres.
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