by Matt St Clair
Mariama Diallo’s feature debut Master is a horror film about the anxieties of being a Black woman in a predominantly white space. Diallo stresses such perturbations by blending paranormal elements with real-world institutional prejudice and the all-too-petrifying feeling of being an outsider. Although certain story elements outweigh others, Master thrives on its slow-burn execution and sheer demonstration of danger lingering around every corner...
When a new year at the prestigious Ancaster College begins, freshman student Jasmine (Zoe Renee) is eager to move into her dorm while longtime faculty member Gail Graham (Regina Hall) steps into her role as the first Black master of a residence hall. There are various forces at play aiming to make both of them feel like they don’t belong. Forces like the ominous stares that people give Jasmine from their dorm windows as she walks across campus. There are also things that go bump in the night on Gail’s campus residence, forcing her to stay with literature professor Liv (Amber Gray), one of the college’s few other Black faculty members.
Liv is also looking to assert her own place at Ancaster, a school with an admission rate which rivals that of Harvard, by receiving a tenured position. Her being a mixed-race woman adds another layer to the film’s racial commentary though this isn’t as developed as it could’ve been.
We also learn little about Gail’s life outside her history with the university even if she’s closer to a main character. That being said, Gail is still captivating thanks to Regina Hall’s performance. Regina Hall expertly shows Gail’s paralyzing fear that peers through her composed, stolid facade. Meanwhile, Zoe Renee is utterly dynamic as Jasmine, exuding a sunny disposition as she arrives on campus with an eagerness to learn and belong before racial microaggressions and the ghosts of the school’s past that haunt her nightmares begin to crush her spirit.
The apparitions that haunt Jasmine and Gail do so arbitrarily with little build-up. Consequently, the supernatural sequences don’t have the same effect as those involving the subtle discrimination that women like Gail, Jasmine, and Liv face in everyday life. However, with Mariama Diallo’s attempt at showing dread lurking all across the ancient, decrepit walls of Ancaster, Master already proves she’s keen to create great horror atmosphere. Hopefully we'll see what else she can bring to this genre in the near future given this compelling debut. B+
Master is premiering at the Sundance Film Festival and will stream on Prime Video on March 18th.