Among a series of wild and chaotic new box office releases, such as “One Battle After Another” and “Bugonia,” “The Mastermind” stands out as a quiet, contemplative feature. Though viewers may perceive its anti-climactic nature as boring, the film is an excellent study in character and the simplicity of life.
Following her previous work, Director Kelly Reichardt once again delivers a simple but powerful film. The story centers on J.B. Mooney (Josh O’Connor) as he plans a heist to steal four Arthur Dove paintings from a local museum in Massachusetts. Although the heist is successful, the police later arrest one of his accomplices, Ronnie (Javion Allen), who names J.B. as the mastermind of the plan. With the police on his tail, J.B. faces multiple obstacles — including his former colleagues Fred (John Magaro) and Maude (Gaby Hoffmann) and his disappointed wife Terri (Alana Haim) — as he tries not to get caught.
As the credits roll through the beginning of the film, we see J.B. and his family at their local art museum. The jazzy film score sets a vintage tone and ambiance, effectively placing the audience in 1970. Gorgeous shots filled with autumn hues complete the vintage aesthetic. The film’s attention to detail shines as it focuses on J.B.’s slow examination of several paintings and his theft of a small figurine.
While focused on the mundane, the film refuses to romanticize everyday life. Reichardt highlights every moment, showing scenes of daily occurrences that unfold over extended periods. Reichardt’s use of minimalist realism is effective in displaying the undignified truth of J.B.’s actions. The film’s heist would be better deemed an anti-heist; it takes place within a matter of minutes and the robbers get away easily, hardly disturbing the peace in the museum.
Reichardt’s simplistic direction stood out most in a scene depicting J.B.’s attempt to hide the art pieces in a loft. The scene is an almost entirely continuous shot that lasts nearly ten minutes, where the audience watches J.B. attempt to climb up to the loft and stow the pieces, chronicling his difficulties going up the ladder and bringing them up one by one. By showing everyday life and by making J.B. a relatively plain character, it is clear that Reichardt intends for the film’s realism to connect with its audience.
While it may seem as if the film is simply a visual feast without a true dramatic plot, the film shines when it’s viewed as a social commentary on human connection. “Mastermind” never fully reveals J.B.’s story, ambitions or character. While I assumed he felt a connection to art as a creative form, leading to his decision to steal paintings rather than any other object, there was a distinct lack of connection between J.B., his family, his friends and his situation.
J.B. appears to have little connection to either his wife or children, as evidenced by his brief interactions with them throughout the film — his wife and children even leave him behind when he stops to tie his shoelace. In turn, J.B. leaves his children in the center of town throughout the day. The only emotional encounter he has with his wife is when he begs her for money to escape to Toronto. He puts all of his trust into his own plans, placing his inventiveness over realistic outcomes. This disregard of others’ actions leads him to underestimate the FBI’s ability to track him down and to naively place trust in Ronnie’s character. This disconnect is beautifully portrayed at the film’s ironic end when J.B. is taken away, alone, in a police van. Despite being named the “mastermind,” he isn’t even arrested for the crime he had committed — he’s taken away as an anti-Vietnam protester from the protest he ends up stumbling into during his escape.
As a visually stunning film with a quiet but profound message, “The Mastermind” stands out as an ode to the ordinary. It could be easily overlooked and dismissed as boring, but on closer inspection, it highlights human disconnection within its warm, golden-hued world, presenting a complex tension that reflects the film’s themes of isolation.
