The Mastermind
“It’s not stealing if you don’t get caught”.
It’s always memorable when you watch a good movie at a film festival — you finally get what you came here for. That’s what happened with The Mastermind (released by MUBI) at the 2025 Odesa Film Festival, not only because the chairman of the “White Boy of the Month” club is here — Josh O’Connor — but also because of my deep love for Kelly Reichardt, whose art always feels like a breath of fresh air.
JB, an art-school dropout, comes from a wealthy family — a judge for a father and an aristocratic mother who borrows money for her son's “architectural project.” JB has two sons, a wife, and a house — he has it all, the classic American dream come true. But also an unfamiliar love of art: stealing it, owning it.
It’s not the usual heist film you imagine when you hear the word “heist”. It’s far from the pompous Ocean’s Eleven style; it’s quiet, witty, and nostalgic. I’d say it gives off vibes of New Hollywood classics like Bonnie and Clyde, yet it feels off, as if it’s not quite comparable. Kelly Reichardt masterfully crafts a heist movie that breaks every rule of the genre. JB doesn’t steal for money or attention, unlike O’Connor’s previous role in Alice Rohrwacher’s 2023 festival sensation La Chimera. In La Chimera, O’Connor’s character Arthur does it selfishly for cash — he uses art as a resource, a way to get profit by not doing much, since he knows it well — but closer to the end, he learns that it can just exist, not be exploited. The loss of his love becomes a reason for transformation, a way to reconnect with her. “You’re not made for human eyes” — one of the greatest lines ever said on film. On the other hand, JB follows this quote in a ten-minute sequence while hiding the paintings he stole. But that’s what makes these two different: Arthur copes with grief through stealing art, while JB does it only for his own good. This is not the only trope she twists in this film — the American Dream is another one. It’s not enough for JB to be a complete human being. It doesn’t fulfill him. Art does. Art fills a void inside him — a hole of love and passion that real humans can’t bring him.
This is not the first time Reichardt has explored art. Her previous work, Showing Up, starring Michelle Williams, tells the story of a struggling artist who dedicates her existence to her job and makes a miserable amount of money out of it. That marks The Mastermind as an unofficial sequel and sort of a response to Showing Up, where art becomes a hobby for privileged people who already have everything. They pick it up and drop it whenever they want, without any consequence.
It’s a perfectly crafted film with great casting by Gayle Keller — her fourth collaboration with Kelly Reichardt. We have indie legends like Hope Davis and John Magaro, balanced with up-and-coming Alana Haim, who has been dominating both music and film at the same time and does it brilliantly — and, of course, Josh O’Connor. Should I even explain? He does it again, marking himself as one of the best working male actors today. A well-cast ensemble and the chemistry between them make a film as strong as its script — a smart one that fully transports you back in time. Reichardt’s signature is giving space to everyone on screen — never judging, but always warm and open. But the most impressive part of her directing and writing is the small details that add unexpected layers to her stories. This time, it’s the Vietnam War. It’s somewhere in the background, but it’s there. JB’s son asks him, “What is happening?” while watching TV, and JB doesn’t have an answer. He doesn’t care about the world outside his comfortable shell of stealing and being a selfish, privileged man. That’s it — a story about a self-absorbed man.
The Mastermind is definitely one of the year’s best films — a work that stays and grows with you over time. It’s not something completely new, but somehow Kelly Reichardt’s work embodies everything you need when you step into a cinema: a warm, nostalgic hug from the past. Don’t miss it on the big screen once you have a chance.
8/10
