The Master

Director and screenwriter Paul Thomas Anderson is one of the most original American filmmakers, well-versed in cinematic history, tradition and technique. Born in 1970 in the suburban San Fernando Valley near Los Angeles, whose proximity to Hollywood offers a view into the lives of aspiring and crestfallen actors, Anderson went on to use “The Valley” in several of his films. He spent two days studying at NYU, after which he withdrew his tuition to pay for a short film. Prior to his feature length debut, he cut his teeth on the sets of numerous commercials and music videos.

Anderson is a careful observer of American suburbia. His protagonists are often loners and outsiders whose personal stories pit them against society’s conventions and demands. He masterfully reaches into his spacious store of ideas, refitting the most cliché forms with freshness and innovation. Each of his films has earned cult status, from the bittersweet and campy Boogie Nights, the multi-plot and entrancing Magnolia to the suggestive and dramaturgically masterful There Will Be Blood. His tightly written scripts remain the work of an independent auteur, but Anderson, though once a niche director, has consistently increased his fan base as confirmed by the rows of awards his films have garnered. After five nominations, its seems only a matter of time until an Oscar is among them.