Boy, is this one a challenge. The question "what is it about?" is almost too concise. One should rather ask "is this really a movie?". Now in a scientific sense it is, but plot- and story wise, i am not so sure. There is a basic story about a second world war veteran, Freddie, meeting a strange cult leader, Dodd. But i am almost certain that, that is not what the movie is about. So i guess .. it is up to you to decide for yourself.
Now, i might give you a few inputs to decide for yourself. There are more than a few flashbacks to Freddies time in the navy, on a certain Island, probably in the pacific. Then there are three or four showings of a beautiful wake of a ship, which i believe is a metafor for both looking back and getting away. Freddie is in the claws of the state, when he is in the navy. When he gets out he is in the claws of another cult, lead by Dodd. So there are some parallels there, and the reference to "The Master", may work on several fronts - referring to Dodd, Freddie, The Cult, The Navy ,alcohol, women .. or even the director himself. Who knows ... and to be honest .. who cares.
I like challenging movies, but i do not like movies that has such a incohesive plot and story, that it feels like it has been improvised along the way. I like when the viewer is invited in to participate in developing the movie, but actually having to figure out everything myself is just annoying. It feels like an artistic fuck you to the viewer, to be quite honest. This might just be another case of "the emperors new clothes"
I may be ignorant. That is always possible. But a movie has to be engaging and helping the viewer to get into the world or the feeling, that it is attempting to portray. If you have to twist your brain to figure out what it is about at the same time, it is just too much. The actors do a fine job, surely but that is not enough for any movie. It is not particularly artistic in any way either so it is hard for me to find much good to say about this.
Rating: 2/10