The first teaser trailer for Paul Thomas Anderson's The Master showcased Joaquin Phoenix's troubled sailor as a free spirit hunting for a new direction in his life. There were submarines and beaches and a meditative vibe that brought to mind Terrence Malick.
For this second glimpse of the hotly awaited film, the focus switches to the man who made hold the key to that sailor's future: Philip Seymour Hoffman's titular demagogue.
He also holds the key to a bigger issue that should unite chatrooms and churches in debate nearer to release: is The Master is an indictment of Scientology or a Scientology-like organisation, or are those undertones all a big old McGuffin? Watch the trailer and make up your own mind.
"I am a writer, a doctor, a nuclear physicist, a theoretical philosopher," explains Hoffman's Lancaster Dodd to his newest acolyte, "but above all I am a man, a hopelessly inquisitive man, just like you". Shades of L. Ron Hubbard? The Village Voice certainly thinks so.
One thing is for sure: with its disconnected dialogue, diegetic sounds and edgy Jonny Greenwood score, the second trailer is a disconcerting brew and the film remains an enigma. Just how we like it.
The Master is out in the US in October and should be in a cinema near you later in 2012.
