Film Review: Master Gardener
Director:Paul Schrader
Writer: Paul Schrader
Starring: Joel Edgerton, Quintessa Swindell, Sigourney Weaver
Release Date: May 19, 2023
by Kaity Cheng
‘Master Gardener’ tells the story of Narvel Roth (Joel Edgerton), the meticulous and reserved Director of Horticulture at Gracewood Gardens, a private estate owned by the imposing Norma Haverhill (Sigourney Weaver). The film may be worth seeing for the opening credits alone, which juxtapose the names of cast members against the time-lapse photography of flowers. Viewers are treated with the real life drama of amaryllis, tulips, crocus, and orchids blooming. The blue rocky mountain Columbine's unfolding petals elicited a sharp intake of breath from this viewer.
Director Paul Schrader, renowned for classics like "Taxi Driver" and "American Gigolo," continues his exploration of deeply troubled characters with Narvel Roth, a man whose observations in the garden serve as a window into his orderly yet enigmatic life.
The film opens with Narvel at his desk, writing in his journal, accompanied by a voice-over narration. Here, Narvel reflects on gardening as a belief in the future, a belief that change will come in its due time.
Narvel lives and works at Gracewood Gardens, a large estate where the sprawling limbs of live oak trees, draped in sphagnum moss, easily steal the scenes. However, the gardens themselves, dominated by formal green hedges and scattered annuals, disappoint, revealing the limitations of filming in Louisiana during February. If only the production could have waited till spring to film!
Gracewood Gardens has the looks of a southern plantation, and it’s not hard to imagine that Norma is the descendent of slave owners. She continues to be master of her land, commanding a large crew of servants and gardeners. The power dynamic between Norma and Narvel is quickly established, with Narvel living in a one-room shack on Norma's plantation and enduring her condescending nickname, "Sweet Pea.” When she invites him to dinner at her house, he spends the night. Although he always wears a long-sleeved gardener’s uniform, he stands shirtless before Norma, who regards his tattoos (of white pride slogans and swastikas) with lust.
The introduction of Norma's grand-niece, Maya (Quintessa Swindell), disrupts this dynamic. Norma had an estranged relationship with Maya’s mother, and she makes a point of telling Narvel that Maya is of, “mixed blood”. Narvel reluctantly agrees to take Maya on as an apprentice, teaching her botany and giving her jobs with the horticulture crew.
The film brings Narvel and Maya together quickly, and their turn from strangers to co-workers to lovers is abrupt and not very convincing. As we learn more about his past, it is hard to believe that he could be the same person. In his previous life, he was raised to hate non-whites, and committed racist killings. This fact is brushed off rather quickly - we only see a flashback of Narvel entering a black family’s home and shooting the father. When he looks up he sees the man’s wife and daughter hiding. It certainly explains why he has trouble sleeping at night.
While the film tackles weighty themes such as power dynamics and redemption, these aspects are sometimes treated with a superficial touch, leaving some narrative threads feeling unresolved. The film’s strongest ties to gardening occur in the journaling scenes. Perhaps due to the lack of bloom in February, we experience the joy of gardening mostly through Narvel’s journal entries. Here, he describes “the orchestration of blooms”, and how “in spring, the color wheel comes alive”. The theme of redemption is most clear in these moments, when Narvel is expressing his wonder and gratitude, “I found a life in flowers. How unlikely is that”? There is however, one scene of botanical and ecstatic joy. Narvel has held Maya’s hand through drug withdrawal, and come clean about his racist past. They are driving in the night through a countryside that has suddenly erupted into bloom. First Maya, then Narvel, stick their head out of the windows and scream with joy. Viewers can breathe a sigh of relief for this troubled pair’s newfound freedom.
Plant people will find entertainment in "Master Gardener", particularly in its use of gardening metaphors and the unexpected weaponization of Felco pruners. However, its exploration of complex themes like racism and power ultimately feels underdeveloped, leaving a sense of missed opportunity in its wake. In addition to the garden journal entries, it would have been interesting to see Gracewood Gardens during its real orchestration of blooms.