![Image](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BN2M4M2IzOGUtZjUwMy00OTcwLWIwYzctY2RkYjIyMDk5ZDdkXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTE0MzQwMjgz._V1_QL75_UX140_CR0,0,140,140_.jpg)
![Image](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BN2M4M2IzOGUtZjUwMy00OTcwLWIwYzctY2RkYjIyMDk5ZDdkXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTE0MzQwMjgz._V1_QL75_UX140_CR0,0,140,140_.jpg)
Eric Appel (Weird: The Al Yankovic Story)
Famous parody musician “Weird Al” Yankovic co-wrote the script of his own satirical biopic, which stars Daniel Radcliffe in the title role. Appel’s film charts Yankovic’s rise to fame as well as his fictionalized relationship with Madonna (Evan Rachel Wood).
Elegance Bratton (The Inspection)
Bratton’s first narrative feature (he helmed the 2019 doc Pier Kids) is an autobiographical drama chronicling the story of a gay man (Jeremy Pope) who joins the Marines when he feels he has nowhere to turn after being rejected by his homophobic mother (Gabrielle Union).
Mariama Diallo (Master)
Regina Hall leads this horror film as Gail Bishop, the first Black woman to serve as dean of students at a prestigious college. Along with two other Black women at the school, Gail soon discovers a disturbing underlying presence at the predominantly white institution.
Adamma Ebo (Honk for Jesus.
Famous parody musician “Weird Al” Yankovic co-wrote the script of his own satirical biopic, which stars Daniel Radcliffe in the title role. Appel’s film charts Yankovic’s rise to fame as well as his fictionalized relationship with Madonna (Evan Rachel Wood).
Elegance Bratton (The Inspection)
Bratton’s first narrative feature (he helmed the 2019 doc Pier Kids) is an autobiographical drama chronicling the story of a gay man (Jeremy Pope) who joins the Marines when he feels he has nowhere to turn after being rejected by his homophobic mother (Gabrielle Union).
Mariama Diallo (Master)
Regina Hall leads this horror film as Gail Bishop, the first Black woman to serve as dean of students at a prestigious college. Along with two other Black women at the school, Gail soon discovers a disturbing underlying presence at the predominantly white institution.
Adamma Ebo (Honk for Jesus.
- 1/10/2023
- by Hilton Dresden
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
![Image](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BNDg2NzE4N2MtNzc0Zi00ZDkxLTlhYTctZjU4MGQyNzhjNzFmXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTE0MzQwMjgz._V1_QL75_UX140_CR0,0,140,140_.jpg)
![Image](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BNDg2NzE4N2MtNzc0Zi00ZDkxLTlhYTctZjU4MGQyNzhjNzFmXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTE0MzQwMjgz._V1_QL75_UX140_CR0,0,140,140_.jpg)
Many remember Regina Hall from her legendary role as Brenda in the Scary Movie series. Her career didn’t start there, though. She starred in Best Man, and Love and Basketball. Both films are hallmarks of Black American Cinema and she hasn’t stopped since. On the film side, Hall has starred in the Scary Movie, The Best Man and Think Like A Man franchises.
Other credits include global box office hit Girls Trip, About Last Night, People Places Things and The Hate You Give. Her work in Support The Girls earned her Best Actress honors from the New York Film Critics Circle and the African-American Film Critics Association. She also received Film Independent Spirit, National Society of Film Critics and Gotham Award nominations for her work in the movie. As for television, she starred in Nine Perfect Strangers, Black Monday, and Insecure. She now stars in a socio-political horror...
Other credits include global box office hit Girls Trip, About Last Night, People Places Things and The Hate You Give. Her work in Support The Girls earned her Best Actress honors from the New York Film Critics Circle and the African-American Film Critics Association. She also received Film Independent Spirit, National Society of Film Critics and Gotham Award nominations for her work in the movie. As for television, she starred in Nine Perfect Strangers, Black Monday, and Insecure. She now stars in a socio-political horror...
- 5/31/2022
- by Valerie Complex
- Deadline Film + TV
![Mariama Diallo in Master (2022)](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BZGNkNjMxMTQtNzBmYS00NmNiLWEzNGYtMWFhYjE3NzE2MTIwXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyODI5MDg3MDQ@._V1_QL75_UX500_CR0,26,500,281_.jpg)
Inspiration can be incidental. For filmmaker Mariama Diallo, the writer and director of the new allegorical horror movie, Master, it could be described as faintly insidious. That’s at least one way to think about the larger social implications of her chance encounter with an old professor from her days at Yale University.
“I ran into my master out on the streets of New York a few years after I graduated,” Diallo explains now, referring to how faculty who live in the residential dormitories with Yale undergraduates are called ‘masters’ of their charges.
“And I greeted him the way I always had,” Diallo continues, “which starts with the title ‘Master.’ And in the streets of New York City that’s a weird thing to call an older white man, and it became immediately clear to me that I had unknowingly taken on this very, very strange dynamic, this kind of...
“I ran into my master out on the streets of New York a few years after I graduated,” Diallo explains now, referring to how faculty who live in the residential dormitories with Yale undergraduates are called ‘masters’ of their charges.
“And I greeted him the way I always had,” Diallo continues, “which starts with the title ‘Master.’ And in the streets of New York City that’s a weird thing to call an older white man, and it became immediately clear to me that I had unknowingly taken on this very, very strange dynamic, this kind of...
- 3/20/2022
- by David Crow
- Den of Geek
![Philip Seymour Hoffman, Joaquin Phoenix, and Amy Adams in The Master (2012)](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMTQ2NjQ5MzMwMF5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwMjczNTAzOA@@._V1_QL75_UX140_CR0,0,140,207_.jpg)
![Philip Seymour Hoffman, Joaquin Phoenix, and Amy Adams in The Master (2012)](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMTQ2NjQ5MzMwMF5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwMjczNTAzOA@@._V1_QL75_UX140_CR0,0,140,207_.jpg)
This review of “Master” was first published on Jan. 21, 2022, following its premiere at Sundance.
Writer-director Mariama Diallo’s debut feature “Master” doesn’t just blur the lines between the horror genre and institutionalized racism; it convincingly argues that there’s no meaningful difference.
If ghost stories are all about people forced to live with a traumatic past, then surely every inch of America is haunted. Racism isn’t a specter hiding in our attic; it’s a malevolent force that infects every surface in the country, and it seems to flourish the most in monuments to white power.
“Master” tells the story of two women at Ancaster College, a fictional institute of higher learning that’s as old as the United States itself. Regina Hall stars as Gail Bishop, the first woman of color to become the “master” of a residence hall, but her home is haunted by ghosts of...
Writer-director Mariama Diallo’s debut feature “Master” doesn’t just blur the lines between the horror genre and institutionalized racism; it convincingly argues that there’s no meaningful difference.
If ghost stories are all about people forced to live with a traumatic past, then surely every inch of America is haunted. Racism isn’t a specter hiding in our attic; it’s a malevolent force that infects every surface in the country, and it seems to flourish the most in monuments to white power.
“Master” tells the story of two women at Ancaster College, a fictional institute of higher learning that’s as old as the United States itself. Regina Hall stars as Gail Bishop, the first woman of color to become the “master” of a residence hall, but her home is haunted by ghosts of...
- 3/18/2022
- by William Bibbiani
- The Wrap
![Image](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BYjAxNDdkN2EtMGZmZC00OTQ4LWJiMzEtYTY5NzhlMGIxNmFjXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTE0MzQwMjgz._V1_QL75_UX140_CR0,0,140,140_.jpg)
![Image](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BYjAxNDdkN2EtMGZmZC00OTQ4LWJiMzEtYTY5NzhlMGIxNmFjXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTE0MzQwMjgz._V1_QL75_UX140_CR0,0,140,140_.jpg)
Horror films employ scare tactics for shrills and thrills. But unlike most, Prime Video's "Master" weaves a thought-provoking message into a new tale about a college campus with a scary, racist history. The film, which premiered at this year's Sundance and SXSW Film Festivals, follows three Black women trying to find their place at an old-fashioned, predominantly white university, Ancaster College.
Hall stars as Professor Gail Bishop, the first Black woman at Ancaster promoted to "Master" of a residence hall. Renee plays optimistic freshman Jasmine Moore, who's assigned to live in a haunted dorm room, and Gray stars as Liv Beckman, a professor in the middle of a grueling tenure review. All three characters fight their own battles at the college, but they're linked by the overarching racism and elitism that haunt the campus.
"I definitely wanted to throw some curveballs, take some risks, try something, and not necessarily do something easy.
Hall stars as Professor Gail Bishop, the first Black woman at Ancaster promoted to "Master" of a residence hall. Renee plays optimistic freshman Jasmine Moore, who's assigned to live in a haunted dorm room, and Gray stars as Liv Beckman, a professor in the middle of a grueling tenure review. All three characters fight their own battles at the college, but they're linked by the overarching racism and elitism that haunt the campus.
"I definitely wanted to throw some curveballs, take some risks, try something, and not necessarily do something easy.
- 3/18/2022
- by Njera Perkins
- Popsugar.com
![Image](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BN2RmN2E0NDUtZGIyYy00ZTMzLTg5YWMtNjY0YmQ2Y2UxZjk4XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTE0MzQwMjgz._V1_QL75_UX500_CR0,0,500,281_.jpg)
Teetering between tense drama and full-blown horror, the genius of Mariama Diallo’s “Master” is how it gaslights the audience as much its characters. A stark social satire wrapped in chilling horror, the film keeps everyone guessing who is seeing things and who is just blind to reality.
Set at an elite academic institution in Massachusetts, “Master” — now streaming on Prime Video after a very well-received premiere at Sundance in January — follows three Black women in different positions of power. From the jump, the specter of institutional racism pervades every scene, whether in not-so-subtle micro-aggressions or dusty racist memorabilia. Much like it must feel for Black people to exist in a racist society, these markers of white supremacy can pop up at any time and any place.
The film centers on a professor named Gail Bishop (Regina Hall), who has recently been promoted to the college’s top honor of “House Master.
Set at an elite academic institution in Massachusetts, “Master” — now streaming on Prime Video after a very well-received premiere at Sundance in January — follows three Black women in different positions of power. From the jump, the specter of institutional racism pervades every scene, whether in not-so-subtle micro-aggressions or dusty racist memorabilia. Much like it must feel for Black people to exist in a racist society, these markers of white supremacy can pop up at any time and any place.
The film centers on a professor named Gail Bishop (Regina Hall), who has recently been promoted to the college’s top honor of “House Master.
- 3/18/2022
- by Jude Dry
- Indiewire
![Mariama Diallo in Master (2022)](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BZGNkNjMxMTQtNzBmYS00NmNiLWEzNGYtMWFhYjE3NzE2MTIwXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyODI5MDg3MDQ@._V1_QL75_UX500_CR0,26,500,281_.jpg)
Mariama Diallo’s feature debut Master, starring Regina Hall, Zoe Renee, and Amber Gray, will premiere globally March 18 on Prime Video. In the film, three women strive to find their place at a prestigious New England university whose frosty elitism may disguise something more sinister. The film’s title is in reference to Regina Hall’s role as Professor Gail Bishop, who […]
The post ‘Master’ Interview – Director Mariama Diallo on Layering the Supernatural With the Real Horrors of Academia appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.
The post ‘Master’ Interview – Director Mariama Diallo on Layering the Supernatural With the Real Horrors of Academia appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.
- 3/18/2022
- by Brad Miska
- bloody-disgusting.com
![Image](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BYThiNzk4YWItMTcwNi00NzNlLThhMDAtZmU3MTgyODZmZTYxXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTE0MzQwMjgz._V1_QL75_UX500_CR0,26,500,281_.jpg)
Regina Hall as Prof. Gail Bishop in Master. Courtesy of Amazon Studios.
A tale of a hanged witch and much more haunt an ancient private university in New England, in Mariama Diallo’s debut feature Master, where three Black women struggle against a college’s long racial history as they try to find their place in academia.
Master is the latest entry in the category of Black horror, a genre opened up by Get Out and Candyman, in a tale of New England college haunted by a legend of a witch hanged and by its own racist history. Three Black women, two professors and a new student, struggle to navigate academia at a college older than the country itself, one that seems eager to embrace diversity but is hampered by its past and old habits. Writer-director Mariama Diallo’s Master starts out very scary, with strong supernatural elements but by its end,...
A tale of a hanged witch and much more haunt an ancient private university in New England, in Mariama Diallo’s debut feature Master, where three Black women struggle against a college’s long racial history as they try to find their place in academia.
Master is the latest entry in the category of Black horror, a genre opened up by Get Out and Candyman, in a tale of New England college haunted by a legend of a witch hanged and by its own racist history. Three Black women, two professors and a new student, struggle to navigate academia at a college older than the country itself, one that seems eager to embrace diversity but is hampered by its past and old habits. Writer-director Mariama Diallo’s Master starts out very scary, with strong supernatural elements but by its end,...
- 3/18/2022
- by Cate Marquis
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
![Mariama Diallo in Master (2022)](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BZGNkNjMxMTQtNzBmYS00NmNiLWEzNGYtMWFhYjE3NzE2MTIwXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyODI5MDg3MDQ@._V1_QL75_UX500_CR0,26,500,281_.jpg)
Mariama Diallo’s debut feature in a fictional Ivy League school combines campus politics and horror-satire to chilling effect
There’s a lot going on in this movie from first-time feature director Mariama Diallo – a pointed and intensely pessimistic horror-satire on racism and identity politics on the American campus. It could be that its material isn’t fully absorbed into the screenplay, but there is real claustrophobia and unease in each insidious microaggression.
The setting is an imaginary Ivy League school in New England which now shrilly prides itself on its diversity, where Jasmine (Zoe Renee), a new student and young woman of colour, is unnerved to hear rumours that the room she has been assigned was where the university’s first black female student took her own life in the 1960s. Meanwhile, in a kind of generational-anxiety parallel, Gail Bishop (Regina Hall), a distinguished scholar with a respected publication record,...
There’s a lot going on in this movie from first-time feature director Mariama Diallo – a pointed and intensely pessimistic horror-satire on racism and identity politics on the American campus. It could be that its material isn’t fully absorbed into the screenplay, but there is real claustrophobia and unease in each insidious microaggression.
The setting is an imaginary Ivy League school in New England which now shrilly prides itself on its diversity, where Jasmine (Zoe Renee), a new student and young woman of colour, is unnerved to hear rumours that the room she has been assigned was where the university’s first black female student took her own life in the 1960s. Meanwhile, in a kind of generational-anxiety parallel, Gail Bishop (Regina Hall), a distinguished scholar with a respected publication record,...
- 3/16/2022
- by Peter Bradshaw
- The Guardian - Film News
![Image](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BNjc3NTA2NzYtNzIzNi00YTAwLTg4N2QtNzAxMjI2ZmNjYWU0XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTE0MzQwMjgz._V1_QL75_UY281_CR56,0,500,281_.jpg)
Following its well-received world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival, Master is coming to Prime Video via Amazon Studios on March 18th, and we've been provided with an exclusive clip to share with Daily Dead readers!
Below, you can watch Professor Gail Bishop (Regina Hall) make a disturbing discovery in our exclusive clip from Master, and keep an eye out for the film on Prime Video beginning this Friday, March 18th!
"In writer-director Mariama Diallo’s debut feature, Master, three women strive to find their place at a prestigious New England university whose frosty elitism may disguise something more sinister. Professor Gail Bishop (Regina Hall) has recently been promoted to “Master” of a residence hall, the first time at storied Ancaster College that a Black woman has held the post. Determined to breathe new life into a centuries-old tradition, Gail soon finds herself wrapped up in the trials and tribulations...
Below, you can watch Professor Gail Bishop (Regina Hall) make a disturbing discovery in our exclusive clip from Master, and keep an eye out for the film on Prime Video beginning this Friday, March 18th!
"In writer-director Mariama Diallo’s debut feature, Master, three women strive to find their place at a prestigious New England university whose frosty elitism may disguise something more sinister. Professor Gail Bishop (Regina Hall) has recently been promoted to “Master” of a residence hall, the first time at storied Ancaster College that a Black woman has held the post. Determined to breathe new life into a centuries-old tradition, Gail soon finds herself wrapped up in the trials and tribulations...
- 3/14/2022
- by Derek Anderson
- DailyDead
![Philip Seymour Hoffman, Joaquin Phoenix, and Amy Adams in The Master (2012)](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMTQ2NjQ5MzMwMF5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwMjczNTAzOA@@._V1_QL75_UX140_CR0,0,140,207_.jpg)
![Philip Seymour Hoffman, Joaquin Phoenix, and Amy Adams in The Master (2012)](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMTQ2NjQ5MzMwMF5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwMjczNTAzOA@@._V1_QL75_UX140_CR0,0,140,207_.jpg)
Prime Video has debuted a new trailer for the upcoming horror/thriller ‘Master’ starring Regina Hall.
Tree women strive to find their place at a prestigious New England university whose frosty elitism may disguise something more sinister.
Professor Gail Bishop (Regina Hall) has recently been promoted to “Master” of a residence hall, the first time at storied Ancaster College that a Black woman has held the post. Determined to breathe new life into a centuries-old tradition, Gail soon finds herself wrapped up in the trials and tribulations of Jasmine Moore (Zoe Renee), an energetic and optimistic Black freshman.
Jasmine’s time at Ancaster hits a snag early on when she’s assigned a dorm room that is rumoured to be haunted. Things get worse when Jasmine clashes in the classroom with Liv Beckman (Amber Gray), a professor in the middle of her own racially charged tenure review. As Gail tries...
Tree women strive to find their place at a prestigious New England university whose frosty elitism may disguise something more sinister.
Professor Gail Bishop (Regina Hall) has recently been promoted to “Master” of a residence hall, the first time at storied Ancaster College that a Black woman has held the post. Determined to breathe new life into a centuries-old tradition, Gail soon finds herself wrapped up in the trials and tribulations of Jasmine Moore (Zoe Renee), an energetic and optimistic Black freshman.
Jasmine’s time at Ancaster hits a snag early on when she’s assigned a dorm room that is rumoured to be haunted. Things get worse when Jasmine clashes in the classroom with Liv Beckman (Amber Gray), a professor in the middle of her own racially charged tenure review. As Gail tries...
- 3/3/2022
- by Zehra Phelan
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
![Image](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BOWRmMmQwMzYtMDYyNi00MzZlLWIwYmItYTFlYTIwMTMwY2FjXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTE0MzQwMjgz._V1_QL75_UY281_CR56,0,500,281_.jpg)
Written and directed by Mariama Diallo and coming to theaters and Prime Video on March 18th, we have the official trailer for Master:
"In writer-director Mariama Diallo’s debut feature, Master, three women strive to find their place at a prestigious New England university whose frosty elitism may disguise something more sinister. Professor Gail Bishop (Regina Hall) has recently been promoted to “Master” of a residence hall, the first time at storied Ancaster College that a Black woman has held the post. Determined to breathe new life into a centuries-old tradition, Gail soon finds herself wrapped up in the trials and tribulations of Jasmine Moore (Zoe Renee), an energetic and optimistic Black freshman. Jasmine’s time at Ancaster hits a snag early on when she’s assigned a dorm room that is rumored to be haunted. Things get worse when Jasmine clashes in the classroom with Liv Beckman (Amber Gray...
"In writer-director Mariama Diallo’s debut feature, Master, three women strive to find their place at a prestigious New England university whose frosty elitism may disguise something more sinister. Professor Gail Bishop (Regina Hall) has recently been promoted to “Master” of a residence hall, the first time at storied Ancaster College that a Black woman has held the post. Determined to breathe new life into a centuries-old tradition, Gail soon finds herself wrapped up in the trials and tribulations of Jasmine Moore (Zoe Renee), an energetic and optimistic Black freshman. Jasmine’s time at Ancaster hits a snag early on when she’s assigned a dorm room that is rumored to be haunted. Things get worse when Jasmine clashes in the classroom with Liv Beckman (Amber Gray...
- 3/2/2022
- by Jonathan James
- DailyDead
![Image](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BNmFlNjk5NTUtZDNiOC00ZjY3LWExYjEtYjc0NDFlODc2ZTIzXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTE0MzQwMjgz._V1_QL75_UY281_CR87,0,500,281_.jpg)
Mariama Diallo wants us to confront our ghosts.
The writer-director marked her feature debut with “Master,” a story about three women who try to find their place at a prestigious (i.e. stuffy) New England university, amid its racially charged past. Regina Hall stars as Professor Gail Bishop, who has been promoted to “Master” of a residence hall, making history as the first Black woman at the school to do so.
Gail finds herself drawn to freshman Jasmine Moore (Zoe Renee) after she experiences supernatural activity in her haunted dorm room. Jasmine also clashes with Professor Liv Beckman (Amber Gray), who is entangled in her own racially charged tenure review.
As Gail tries to maintain order and fulfill the duties of a Master, the cracks begin to show in the elite university’s once-immaculate facade — hinting at the darkness under it all. Is the school really haunted, and if so,...
The writer-director marked her feature debut with “Master,” a story about three women who try to find their place at a prestigious (i.e. stuffy) New England university, amid its racially charged past. Regina Hall stars as Professor Gail Bishop, who has been promoted to “Master” of a residence hall, making history as the first Black woman at the school to do so.
Gail finds herself drawn to freshman Jasmine Moore (Zoe Renee) after she experiences supernatural activity in her haunted dorm room. Jasmine also clashes with Professor Liv Beckman (Amber Gray), who is entangled in her own racially charged tenure review.
As Gail tries to maintain order and fulfill the duties of a Master, the cracks begin to show in the elite university’s once-immaculate facade — hinting at the darkness under it all. Is the school really haunted, and if so,...
- 3/2/2022
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
![Image](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BY2E4NDg2YmYtMzgxYS00NmUxLWE1NjYtZGVkZWNmYzUzYmMyXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTE0MzQwMjgz._V1_QL75_UY140_CR36,0,140,140_.jpg)
![Image](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BY2E4NDg2YmYtMzgxYS00NmUxLWE1NjYtZGVkZWNmYzUzYmMyXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTE0MzQwMjgz._V1_QL75_UY140_CR36,0,140,140_.jpg)
Centuries-old grandiose red brick, white-trimmed buildings fill the frame at the start of Mariama Diallo’s striking debut feature film “Master.” Ivy-clad collegiate walls are a staple in the horror genre; the grounds are confined, and there’s something inherently creepy about old buildings. But here, Diallo uses this setting not just for aesthetic frights but because it is these very venerated walls from which the terror at the center of her story finds its origin.
Gail Bishop (a stellar Regina Hall) is the first Black Master, a term that will take on many meanings as the film progresses at the fictional New England college Ancaster.
Continue reading ‘Master’ Review: Regina Hall Is Stellar In A Haunting Jordan Peele-Esque Social Horror [Sundance] at The Playlist.
Gail Bishop (a stellar Regina Hall) is the first Black Master, a term that will take on many meanings as the film progresses at the fictional New England college Ancaster.
Continue reading ‘Master’ Review: Regina Hall Is Stellar In A Haunting Jordan Peele-Esque Social Horror [Sundance] at The Playlist.
- 1/22/2022
- by Marya E. Gates
- The Playlist
![Image](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BZDFlMDFmOGYtMTZiZC00ZWEyLWI3NzctODAyYWQ1YjQzMWZiXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTE0MzQwMjgz._V1_QL75_UX500_CR0,0,500,281_.jpg)
The monsters on campus aren’t quite as scary as those in Black Christmas or Sorority Row, but they’re nonetheless an insidious presence in Master, as discriminatory remnants at a tony longtime girls’ school’s past continue to haunt the lives of modern students. This first feature from writer-director Mariama Diallo has a veneer of intelligence, class and noble purpose that separates it from most films about a “haunted” anything. Unfortunately, despite its brainy dialogue and sometimes comic approach, the film is also preachy and obvious in its point-making, which will go down well with the like-minded but might feel heavy-handed and familiar to others. After its Sundance Film Festival bow tonight in the U.S. Dramatic Competition section, Master will go out into the world on Amazon Prime.
Diallo’s short film Hair Wolf won a jury award at Sundance 2018, while her more recent short, White Devil, hasn...
Diallo’s short film Hair Wolf won a jury award at Sundance 2018, while her more recent short, White Devil, hasn...
- 1/22/2022
- by Todd McCarthy
- Deadline Film + TV
![Image](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BN2RmN2E0NDUtZGIyYy00ZTMzLTg5YWMtNjY0YmQ2Y2UxZjk4XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTE0MzQwMjgz._V1_QL75_UX500_CR0,0,500,281_.jpg)
There is something inherently unsettling about an elite university’s aura of vanity. Few other contemporary locations summon such a sense of reverence, exclusivity and historical angst — especially if the college is somewhere in brisk New England and adorned with the Ivy League distinction. Through an unnerving blend of supernatural horror and psychological drama, fiercely talented writer-director Mariama Diallo’s debut feature “Master” reflects on the roots and customs of one such illustrious school of eerily beautiful stone buildings and handsomely dim, wood-heavy chambers. It’s a fictional prototype called Ancaster, erected near where the Salem witch trials were once carried out. Diallo knows exactly what makes the grounds and hallways of these often lily-white institutions spine-tingling as she dissects their historical footprint, real and imagined, through the ghosts of those who left it.
The result is a stylish, sometimes terrifying genre film that shares DNA with Nia DaCosta’s “Candyman,...
The result is a stylish, sometimes terrifying genre film that shares DNA with Nia DaCosta’s “Candyman,...
- 1/22/2022
- by Tomris Laffly
- Variety Film + TV
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