When most people think of legendary trilogies, they probably think of something like Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man series or Star Wars. To the epics that tell a great story with the same heroes. But for film fans, there are also those trilogies that belong together thematically and form more of a total work of art, such as Edgar Wright’s bloody, satirical Cornetto trilogy.
Master director Paul Schrader has created such a thematic trilogy with First Reformed, The Card Counter and the grand finale, Master Gardener. In all of these films he deals with the really hard issues of humanity in moments and images that are as cruel as they are sensual. The result is a masterpiece, the final part of which you can watch for the first time today with a streaming subscription on Sky.
In Master Gardener on Sky, an inconspicuous gardener is confronted with his horrific past
Narvel Roth (Joel Edgerton) is an unassuming man with a calm, uplifting manner and a blossoming passion (at least a pun had to be made) for gardening. He looks after the extensive gardens of Gracewood Gardens, an old southern estate, lovingly and with almost military discipline.
The property belongs to Norma Haverhill (Sigourney Weaver), who keeps Narvel as both a gardener and a lover. Both remain silent about his past, which is written on his skin in tattoos hidden under his work clothes. Everything goes peacefully until Norma takes in her great-niece Maya (Quintessa Swindell). She should apprentice under Narvel and build a future for herself.
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Joel Edgerton and Sigourney Weaver in Master Gardener
Despite a cold beginning, Narvel and Maya soon develop a certain level of trust in each other. But the closer Maya gets to her instructor, the closer she comes to his secret past full of hate, violence and shame. The fragile relationship between the two soon turns into a dangerous powder keg.
Master Gardener is the culmination of a trilogy in which Paul Schrader proves his absolute genius
The trilogy, in summary, is a literal powerful piece – with Ethan Hawke’s monumental performance and a 94% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes for First Reformed, followed by a captivating Oscar Isaac and an 87% score for The Card Counter. Master Gardener falls a little behind with its 71%, but it’s probably the same most provocative and controversial Part of the series.
Master Gardener is a qualification courageous manifesto about racism and the never-ending American story, about power and abuse of power, about hatred taught and lived. But it is also a story about the infinite power of forgiveness, love and repentance, heartbreakingly played by Joel Edgerton and a strong Quintessa Swindell.
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Master Gardener
As in the previous films, Schrader chooses his images so precisely, quietly and subtly that they almost make you feel hypnotic pull develop. The great, world-destroying drama here is not in the brutal, but in the everyday, quiet. Pain and trauma that have accumulated in a person over years and now dictate every movement. The few moments of sensuality make everything all the more bitter.
Over the course of an entire trilogy, Schrader provides hours of food for thought about everything that people can do wrong. But it is precisely through Master Gardener that he leaves us with a bright, warm one Sparks of hopethat we can start changing everything in our own garden, in our own environment.
Anyone who wants to be captivated by Master Gardener can now do so with a streaming subscription on Sky.
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