The Master

The idea of The Master, which was filmed and released in 2012, could be traced back in 2000, when, as it was reported that Paul Thomas Anderson had the plans to create the movie about The Church of Scientology. However, the issues with the financing have blocked the implementation of conception until The Weinstein Company alongside with Megan Ellison, daughter of billionaire Larry Ellison (co-owner of Oracle Corporation), secured the financing of The Master in full. Likewise it has been some rumors that the movie was stalled because of too much of truth about The Church of Scientology has been revealed by Paul Thomas Anderson when he showcased The Cause sect (which was definitely prototyped from The Church of Scientology) in his movie. And because Hollywood has lots of influential and high-powered scientologists in his womb they have, allegedly, throw sand in the wheels of The Master filming and financing. In spite of the fact that The Church of Scientology Officials have rejected these rumors to be true and repeatedly insisted on their indifference concerning this movie, we have lots of doubts about it. The movie rather colorfully describes the sect and its leader Lancaster Dodd, whose personality was clearly copied from Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard and very plausible displayed by talented performance of Philip Seymour Hoffman. You may be familiar with him by the roles in Moneyball, where he played Art Howe and in The Ides of March (Paul Zara). Dodd's apprentice, Freddie Sutton, who has climbed to the top of "The Cause" hierarchy suddenly starts to doubt about his teacher's belief, more and more being convinced the all he has to believe to is nothing more than fruits of his teacher's sick fantasies.