I confess: I didn't understand "The Master"

PTA doesn't seem to like religion or at least religious leaders so I think it had something to do with that. The movie was rumored to be about scientology. I think he was just saying religion doesn't work.

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Does anyone have a clue if there was an underlying message or story

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There is an underlying message but not much of a story. The message is about the primal state of man and the influence religion has upon us. Phoenix is in every way an uncivilized man while PSH is the opposite. The two are drawn to each other because, at their core, they are the same. This is no more apparent than when PSH and Phoenix wrestle in front of the house. PSH is able to contain his animalism and exert power over a mass of people through religion. Phoenix never fully comes under the sway of religion, and remains PSH's foil, or perhaps more accurately, the mirror PSH's true self.

The movie itself, though, is fricking terrible. It is of little redeeming value. The plot is scattered, the message hidden and convoluted, and the direction and editing abysmal. There are a handful of great shots, and the acting is great, but the movie fails to accomplish anything.

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There is an underlying message but not much of a story. The message is about the primal state of man and the influence religion has upon us. Phoenix is in every way an uncivilized man while PSH is the opposite. The two are drawn to each other because, at their core, they are the same. This is no more apparent than when PSH and Phoenix wrestle in front of the house. PSH is able to contain his animalism and exert power over a mass of people through religion. Phoenix never fully comes under the sway of religion, and remains PSH's foil, or perhaps more accurately, the mirror PSH's true self.

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That's kind of what I thought, but it seemed like a bunch of the movie was "artsy" for the sake of being "artsy"

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That's kind of what I thought, but it seemed like a bunch of the movie was "artsy" for the sake of being "artsy

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Correct. PTA went full Malick.

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was waking up on the beach where it started mean it was all a dream?

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I took it to mean that his relationship with "The Cause" brought about no change in his life. He ended up where he started: an addict drifter with a self-destructive personality looking for meaning in his life. Like many soldiers who struggle to cope with their experiences and who struggle adjusting to society upon returning, Freddie feels his life with erroneous things (perversion, drug addiction, obsession, a cult) and is left empty. Its easy to imagine someone like Freddie coming home from war lost and confused and deciding to join a cult. The message is not supposed to be apparent, its supposed to leave us asking questions, almost like if we would have devoted our lives to cult in hopes to find lifes answers but ended up leaving the cult as lost as we were upon joining. Thats a small part of what the movie was trying to say...I think, maybe...could be way off. I didnt fully understand the movie either but I thought it was very very good, and well worth a second viewing. Intelligent and challenging, very well crafted (of course, PTA) and the acting was as good as I have seen.

The main thing I got from the movie is a feeling that everybody is crazy.

Actually, pretty dramatic depiction. All levels of intelligence, everybody, they are AND we are all fricking nuts!!!!!!!!!!!

For that depiction, slap in the face until it's a brand new startling revelation, I