The clip introduces us to Freddie Sutton, a veteran of the Pacific theater in World War II who returns home unstable and potentially prone to violence.  Joaquin Phoenix plays Sutton, his first role since infamously "retiring" as art of he and Casey Affleck's documentary experiment I'm Still Here.  Phoenix is unnerving and fascinating here, while the style on display feels like one part There Will Be Blood deliberation and one part Boogie Nights energy.

The sneak peek clip premiered today at the film's official site, tying in to a press screening happening today at the Cannes Film Festival.

Johnny Greenwood, the Radiohead member who scored There Will Be Blood, is back for this film, and his work here as composer is most intriguing.

Anyways, The Master is centered on another veteran of WWII, one who returns home shaken by the horrors he witnessed at war and eventually founds a controversial religion that the filmmakers have taken pains to stress is totally unrelated to Scientology.  Phoenix's character is a drifter who becomes the apprentice to that religious founder, played by star Philip Seymour Hoffman.  The cast also includes Amy Adams, Jesse Plemons, and Kevin J. O'Connor.

The Master is scheduled to arrive in American theaters on October 12th.