Umlinganiswa ophambili wefilimu, uDaniel Plainview kaDaniel Day-Lewis, wenza ubomi obunzima njengemigodi yesilivere de umfana osezantsi waseCalifornia, uPaul Dano uPaul ngeCawa, amenze isipho. Ngeedola ezingama-500, ngeCawa uza kuxelela uPlainview indawo efama yakhe yosapho e-California, apho i-oyile ivuza khona emhlabeni. I-Plainview ibonisa kwasekuqaleni ukuba ungungqongqo onzima, onobuqili, osoloko ekrokrela njengoko ecacisa ngeCawe ukuba zininzi iindawo apho ioyile inyukela phezulu, kodwa zimbalwa kakhulu ezineoyile ezininzi ngaphantsi. Okwangoku, uyayamkela le ntengiselwano, kwaye aqhubele eNew Boston kwenye yeemoto zokuqala ezenziweyo, eziza kuguqula imveliso yeoyile de ioyile ibe sisoyikiso sehlabathi esihlasela umgaqo-nkqubo wethu wezangaphandle ukuza kuthi ga ngoku.
Emva kwayo yonke loo nto, kutheni enye into enokuthi i-Oscar-nomine-Mr.-Anderson ithathe isigqibo sokuguqula inoveli yase-Sinclair eneminyaka engama-80 yokuvelisa uhlahlo-lwabiwo mali oluphezulu nophumelele u-Oscar uMnu Day-Lewis? Umlingiswa wakhe kuthiwa usekelwe kubomi bokwenyani u-Edward Doheny, i-tycoon yeoli yexesha. Nangona kunjalo kuncinci kakhulu kumdlalo bhanyabhanya kutyhilwa ngobomi bangaphambili bukaPlainview, obumshiye nonyana omncinci, uH. (UDillon Freasier). Ubomi bakhe bangaphambili yinto uPlainview uyala ukuthetha ngayo, kwaye akukho namnye kule bhanyabhanya, omncinci kubo bonke abantu basetyhini, okhe asondele ngokwaneleyo kuye ukuba aphule isifungo sakhe semfihlo. Ewe kunjalo, kuyo yonke indawo, iPlainview ihlala inomdla, ihlala ingabalulekanga, kodwa ekugqibeleni ingumntu ocekisekayo ngokokuziphatha. Ngaba yingxowankulu okanye ioyile okanye yindlela yaseMelika yokuphila ebangela ukuba abenetyala? Kwakhona, uMnu Anderson usinika imikhondo embalwa malunga nomntu ongaphakathi, kwaye kuphela ubuchule bukaMnu Day-Lewis njengomdlali weqonga osigcina sinomdla kwiinjongo zakhe ezinokubakho, okanye ngaba intshukumisa-lixesha elidala kakhulu ligama eliya kwihlabathi elitsha elinenkalipho?
Ioyile, ngokonakaliswa kwendalo okungcungcuthekisa umhlaba kunye noluntu, ayisiyiyo yodwa yomntu okhohlakeleyo kwesi siqwenga. Inkolo yemvuselelo ithatha abantsundu abambalwa ngokunjalo, njengokugqibela i-antics yewele likaPaul ngewele, uEli (naye odlalwe nguPaul Dano), ufumana ngaphezulu kokuhleka okumbalwa. U-Eli uyenza imeko yokuthengwa kuka-Plainview kwifama katata wakhe ukuba kwakhiwe ibandla lase-Baptist kwipropathi kunye neenzuzo zeoyile. U-Plainview ngokuvumelanayo uyavuma ukungenisa u-Eli, kodwa omnye uziva kwasekuqaleni ukusombulula iiakhawunti phakathi kwaba babini baphambili.
Owu, ewe, apha endleleni, unyana kaPlainview wenziwe isithulu ngengozi kufutshane ne-oyile ye-oyile, kwaye iPlainview ngokungakhathali yamshiya lo mntwana ukhubazekileyo kuloliwe ohamba. Ekugqibeleni baphinde bamanyana kabuhlungu, kwaye amabala emphefumlo ahlala kubo bobabini ubomi.
Kukho abantu abambalwa abahloniphekileyo abadibana nabo ePlainview kwindlela yakhe enqabileyo yokuziphucula, kodwa bakhonza kuphela ekukhanyiseni amandla akhe okumangalisa. Ayimangalisi ncam, kuba ngaxa lithile uphuma ngqo kwaye athi akazange abathanda abantu.
Njengoko kusenzeka, ndizonwabele zonke iifilimu zikaMnumzana Anderson ezine zangaphambili- Nzima isibhozo (amashumi alithoba anamanci asithoba anesithandathu), Ubusuku beBoogie (1997), Magnolia (1999) kunye Uthando lwePunch-Drunk (2002). Ndisoloko ndixabisa, ngakumbi, ubuhle awabubonisayo xa wayephosa, nakwisakhono sakhe sokukhupha konke ukungangqinelani kwabalinganiswa bakhe kubadlali ababedlalayo. Kodwa andikaze ndibone ifilimu ka-Anderson enomlingiswa ophambili ekhupha imbinana yovelwano kubaphulaphuli, kwanaxa umoya ungathandekiyo kwaye ungathandekiyo.
Nangona kunjalo, Kuya kubakho iGazi ihlala iyimpumelelo encomekayo kubuchwephesha bayo bokuzithemba ekunikezeleni ubunyani bexesha elidlulileyo kunye nendawo, ubukhulu becala ngokusetyenziswa okuphefumlelweyo kwabadlali bengingqi kunye nabongezelelweyo kunye nokuhamba kunye nezandi ezifanelekileyo. Kulo nyaka ohamba bhanyabhanya wokungaziphathi kakuhle kunye nokungaziphathi kakuhle, Kuya kubakho iGazi ingena kakuhle kakhulu ngayo yonke iparanoia ekhoyo nokucima isikrini.
