It took a while to get to this point, but the first trailer for Paul Thomas Anderson‘s The Master has finally arrived. This is Anderson’s first film since There Will Be Blood. Although the film focuses on a former soldier (Philip Seymour Hoffman) organizing a new faith-based organization after watching the hardships of war, the teaser focuses on the film’s follower/drifter (played by Joaquin Phoenix). Check out the full teaser below.

Not once do we see Hoffman’s character, instead we see a montage of clips of Phoenix’s character being questioned by someone who is presumed to be his superior officer and although nothing drastic happens, some of the actions being committed will lead us to understand why he is gravitating towards Hoffman’s new faith-based organization.

The way The Master teaser is edited definitely has Anderson’s signature on it. Phoenix is haunting and chilling, and if this is just a glimpse of his performance, then I cannot wait to see the entire film. So much for retirement. We also get a teaser of Jonny Greenwood’s score. I was a huge fan of the score for There Will Be Blood, so hearing some early work for the upcoming film is a great tease.

Amy Adams, Laura Dern, Jesse Plemons, and David Warshovsky have starring roles in the film, The Master will most likely make the film festival rounds before opening in theaters on October 12.

Trailer