“Master” Review: A dramatic horror or a sad thriller?

“Master” Review: A dramatic horror or a sad thriller?

Initial Thoughts

I was anticipating this film and I like movies that explore social issues through a supernatural or fantastical lens. It was a bonus that this was a Black film that was exploring Black issues through a supernatural lens. So as you can see I had certain expectations and hopes for this film. Alas, I was looking forward to this film for all the things it could be instead of what it actually ended up being.

Spoiler warning: I can’t guarantee parts of this review won’t spoil some aspect of the film BUT I promise I won’t regurgitate the entire plot or expose any plot twists or major plot points. If you really care about going into a movie with little to no spoilers you may just want to watch the film before reading.

Film Summary

Master is a thriller film starring Regina Hall, Zoe Renee, and Amber Gray. The story follows Gail Bishop (played by Regina Hall), the first black “Master” at a fictional Ivy League called Ancaster, and Jasmine Moore (played by Zoe Renee), an incoming first-year student and one of few Black students on campus. The film mainly takes place on the college campus with a sordid history. Gail and Jasmine start off excited for their prospective journeys until they slowly realize that there is an unspoken evil at Ancaster that they both must try to overcome.

My thoughts on the Film

Technical Aspects

I’ll start off by talking about one of my issues with the film: the tone. I’m confused about this film’s genre. It’s marketed as a horror film, but I’ve also seen this film described as a drama, thriller, horror, and mystery. I don’t mind mixing genres or walking into a movie thinking it’s one thing when really it’s something else. That’s okay… as long as I can describe what I watched in the end. I’m not sure I can do that in this case. You could say it was a drama, but also a mystery with no reveal or a horror that isn’t scary but exasperating. The genre depends on how you interpret the film…which I believe might be an issue.

Other than that, I thought the film’s production and direction were pretty solid. It’s actually quite impressive for the director’s debut film.

Performances

Regina Hall is what I would like to call a Black Film Royal. She’s been in many Black films and is mainly known for her comedy. Some may be surprised to see her take on such a serious role. Still, after seeing her in Support the Girls (2018) and Nine Perfect Strangers (2021), I knew she was fully capable of playing distressed or overwhelmed. Hall shines in this film, especially in the scenes where Gail interacts with the students. Her portrayal of a nurturer was well done and felt realistic.

This film was Zoe Renee’s acting debut, and I thought she did an excellent job as Jasmine Moore. Her character felt realistic, and there were times I thought I knew someone like Jasmine or I personally resonated with her. I also loved how she depicted the uneasiness you feel when you know something isn’t right or you’ve experienced a microaggression, but aren’t able to defend yourself in the moment.

This film had some captivating leads.

Plot (Some Spoilers!)

So I want to take a second and acknowledge that everything that this film is about the everyday horrors of racism and white supremacy with a dash of sexism and an exploration of systemic harms that exist in academia. That should be apparent to most viewers (ahem)…Now, I’m just going to get into why parts of this film didn’t really work for me. The plot, specifically the stories of Jasmine and Liv (played by Amber Gray), was a bit incomplete.

We start out with a good premise, but I find myself struggling with the film’s exposition even as I write this review. It just doesn’t tie in as well as it could with the present day events that happen in the movie. For example, there are so many situations Jasmine finds herself that in the aggregate appear to not relate to the exposition, maybe? It’s left up to the audience to decide but I felt a few of the situations could have been fleshed out more.

From the beginning, we learn that the school is near a location where a woman named was accused of being a witch and hanged back during the age of witch trials. Many people believe the school is haunted. The death of a Black student in the 60’s further exacerbates this belief. This exposition connects with Jasmine because she’s staying in the same dorm where the student lived and died. Jasmine also goes through similar isolation and loneliness that the student experienced before her death. There’s a good setup for some supernatural shenanigans here, BUT the film can be interpreted in a way in which there is no supernatural element….

Present-day events are where the story feels like it’s busting at the seems a bit. Jasmine experiences A LOT of microaggressions throughout the film. In almost every scene she’s in, someone is being aggressive towards her, OR she is being hate-crimed…. Meanwhile, Jasmine believes she’s being haunted by something supernatural (Margaret’s Ghost). But there’s a possibility she is being harassed by an unnamed someone who is alive and well? Also, Jasmine suffers from sleepwalking and night terrors that appear to be anxiety-induced (Good thing she’s in the low-stress environment of academia) so there’s a whole other factor.

There are several potential explanations for what’s happening: practical, psychological, or supernatural. In my opinion, we aren’t given enough information to make a well-informed hypothesis on which one it is.

Similarly, there’s Liv Backman, who is one of a few staff of color at the university and is up for tenure. She’s the cool, “woke” activist professor beloved by students. She grades Jasmine poorly on an essay assignment, and Jasmine decides to dispute the grade. This becomes a real problem for Liv when the school chooses to wait for the conclusion of the dispute before making their decision on her tenure.

Again, it is up to the audience to decide whether Jasmine is just struggling as a new student in a more rigorous environment or if Liv is targeting her and grading her harshly. Technically, you could argue both. HOWEVER, we then learn about Liv’s past, and a WTF moment happens. We as the audience must again interpret the situation. As a viewer, I can easily come to my own conclusions BUT I still feel the story is a bit incomplete.

Also, there is a subplot with Jasmine’s roommate Amelia (played by Talia Ryder) that I won’t go into, but that I thought wasn’t done very well. A lot of it could have been cut from the film for the sake of cohesiveness.

Gail’s story is an exception. It’s very much a complete story and there are still things you can interpret as the viewer. Gail’s story is more of a drama and shows how she deals with the pressures of being the first black Master at Ancaster. Here we go beyond microaggressions and hate crimes. Gail’s story examines issues in academia like the lack of diversity, faux progressiveness that’s just a smokescreen to maintain the status quo, lack of protection provided for students, the inequitable tenure process, and so on. There was also a discussion around the conflict between “wanting to change things from the inside” v. “exiting spaces that are harmful to the overall health and success of black people”. This was excellent and could have been explored more.

Honestly, I wouldn’t have minded if the film was from only Gail’s perspective. Plot-wise, it would have made a better film with less excess and more developed storylines. While I liked Renee’s performance as Jasmine, I believe she would have been best suited as a side character like the character of Liv.

Final Thoughts

Again, I want to point out that this is an impressive directorial debut from Mariama Diallo. There were a lot of good components in Master, and I’d like to see future work from her.

Diallo explained that the film was based on her own experiences in an interview. She also spoke to the uncertainty in the film’s plot, saying she wanted to “provide a few different avenues for different viewers to come to different conclusions.” She finished with, “…I also felt strongly that there were other theories that were equally valid about what’s happening in that space.”

Now, I am a fan of films that leave it up to the audience to decide what happened based on their own perspective. I appreciate it when filmmakers trust their audience to think or allow them to make up their own minds. For example, Us (2019), Inception (2010), Shutter Island (2010). However, as a storyteller, relying on the audience too much makes for underdeveloped characters and storylines.

Overall, I think the kitchen sink was thrown at us with this one and it impacted my ability to fully enjoy my watch. However, I think this is a perfectly fine film that many people will enjoy interpreting for themselves.

Ratings: ❤❤❤ out of 5

As always, I would love to know your take on the film. What did you like? What didn’t you like? What spoke to you? What feelings do you want to get off your chest about the film? OR do you plan to watch the movie after reading this review?