Master Gardener

Directed by Paul Schrader, Master Gardener follows Joel Edgerton’s Narvel Roth, a meticulous horticulturist, as his past comes back to haunt him after taking on a new apprentice (Quintessa Swindell’s Maya Core). Filmmaker Schrader, armed with his own screenplay, delivers a predictably deliberate (and initially spare) narrative that benefits from the superb efforts of its various performers, as the movie boasts top-notch work from an eclectic supporting cast that includes Sigourney Weaver and Esai Morales – although it certainly remains clear that Edgerton’s often hypnotic turn as the mysterious protagonist remains an ongoing highlight. (Swindell is just as good, too.) And while the decidedly slow atmosphere does prevent the viewer from wholeheartedly connecting to the material (ie the picture never quite becomes as riveting as Schrader has obviously intended), Master Gardener admittedly does grow more and more absorbing as it progresses into a revelation-heavy midsection punctuated with gripping sequences (eg Narvel confronts a couple of sketchy drug dealers) – which, when coupled with a satsifying final stretch, ultimately does cement the film’s place as a solid (if somewhat forgettable) effort from Schrader.

*** out of ****