Magnolia Pictures has released the official trailer for Paul Schrader’s “Master Gardener” starring Joel Edgerton, Sigourney Weaver and Quintessa Swindell. The film premiered at last year’s Venice International Film Festival, and will be released in theaters on May 19th.
Plot Synopsis: 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.
What do you all think of the trailer?
I saw this film at last year’s New York Film Festival, and I can honestly tell you that of Schrader’s last three films (this, “The Card Counter” and “First Reformed“), this was my least favorite. If you like Schrader’s typical work, all of the usual hallmarks are here. A dark character with a mysterious past? Check. Writes his thoughts in a journal with voice-over narration? Check. The occasional stylistic impulse that feels out of place, but we applaud its audacity anyway because it’s Paul Schrader? Check. But in all seriousness, the trailer perfectly captures the tone of Schrader’s latest, which for some will be a comforting watch of a bygone style of filmmaking rarely seen anymore, while others will feel it might be boarding on self-parody. What do you all think, though? Please let us know your thoughts in the comments section below or on our Twitter account.
