Master Gardener (2023)

The meticulous horticulturist (Joel Edgerton) of a beautiful garden estate is asked by his eccentric employer (Sigourney Weaver) to take on an apprentice, her grandniece (Quintessa Swindell). But the grandniece's troubled past combined with the gardener's secret past brings chaos. Written and directed by Paul Schrader (MISHIMA: A LIFE IN FOUR CHAPTERS). I was very impressed with the first half of the film which promises a rich psychological journey but alas, it jumps the rails in its second half when it turns into a flawed good guy vs. drug dealers revenge flick. Schrader has brought us to this well before so it was so disappointing that he wasn't able to fulfill the promise of the excellent first half. But the actors are very good and their performances often compensate for the misguided second half. Swindell, a non binary actor playing a cisgender role here is a real find. I could have done without the awful song Space And Time sung by Mereba played over the end credits. With Esai Morales and Victoria Hill.