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Master

Master

2022

Mariama Diallo

Regina Hall, Amber Gray, Zoe Renee, Talia Ryder ...

4.6

512

Drama Two African American women begin to share disturbing experiences at a predominantly white college in New England.

	Author	Review
United States	Tomris Laffly Variety	"The result is a stylish, sometimes terrifying genre film that shares DNA with Nia DaCosta’s 'Candyman,' and likewise has much on its mind around intersectional notions of race, class and gender"	POS
United States	Robert Daniels IndieWire	"[It] This mesmerizing freak out, a psychologically brutal witch and ghost story, pulls in viewers with smart writing, and even more brilliant performances."	POS
United States	Todd McCarthy Deadline	"[It is] 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"	NEU
United States	Lovia Gyarkye The Hollywood Reporter	"As the credits rolled, I couldn’t help but admire, above all else, Diallo’s boldness. I’m already looking forward to her next project."	POS
United States	Joshua Rothkopf Entertainment Weekly	"Elegant thriller that tips toward the supernatural (...) Creepy, accomplished, never-less-than-memorable feature debut, both an indictment of racist institutions and a horror movie"	POS
United States	Jacob Oller Paste Magazine	"Diallo undoubtedly strikes at potent topics with skill and sets her collaborators up for success (...) but its storylines and characters don’t convincingly coalesce."	NEU
United Kingdom	Fionnuala Halligan Screendaily	"[Diallo] makes her points crystal clear within the genre trappings: the only question left is where next for this talented new director."	POS
United Kingdom	Lisa Wong Macabasco The Guardian	"Tthe film fails to build real suspense, and the scary scenes feel rote and often inelegant, like ticking off a college-horror-movie shot list (…) Rating: ★★ (out of 5)"	NEG
United Kingdom	Dave Calhoun Time Out	"This is a smart, meaningful first film (...) It's not all subtle, but then neither is prejudice (…) Rating: ★★★ (out of 5)"	POS
United States	Marya E. Gates The Playlist	"While there are shades of Jordan Peele’s 'Get Out' and even 'The Shining' in the film’s DNA, Diallo has crafted an incisive, intelligent, and stridently political horror film that is distinctly all her own."	POS
United States	Brian Tallerico rogerebert.com	"'Master' takes risks, a riveting genre experiment that announces a major new talent in Mariama Diallo. Sadly, the final act here gets a little clunky as the film bites off more than it can chew narratively and thematically"	NEU
United States	Meagan Navarro Bloody Disgusting	"A bewitching occult tale of academia and social critique (...) It's the precise type of intelligent, creepy, and complex horror that makes Diallo one to watch (…) Rating: ★★★½ (out of 5)"	POS
United States	Therese Lacson Collider	"[Diallo's] script is smart, with the three protagonists written with unique and defined voices. It's impossible to root against them"	POS
United States	Dan Mecca The Film Stage	"'Master' bites off more than it can chew (...) Diallo is clearly talented and renders some effective, tense moments (...) Undone by overreach"	NEU
United States	William Bibbiani The Wrap	"Regina Hall is superb, which comes as no surprise, and Zoe Renee’s gradual descent into an anxious bundle of nerves is grippingly real and deeply tragic."	POS
United States	Keith Watson Slant	"Preachy (...) A frustratingly diffuse work, one that never seems to fully buy into its own horror trappings and ends up treating its characters as mere avatars of Diallo's grievances (…) Rating: ★½ (out of 4)"	NEG
Canada	Mae Abdulbaki Screen Rant	"'Master' is a solid debut by Diallo, who knows how to create a deep sense of discontent to elevate the story (…) Rating: ★★★½ (out of 5)"	POS
United States	Siddhant Adlakha IGN	"In 'Master', terror is deeply personal, even when it takes sweeping visual form (...) An unexpected, subdued story with a chilling emotional payoff (...) A layered performance from Regina Hall"	POS
United States	Jessica Kiang Los Angeles Times	"Well observed moments are engulfed in a deluge of supernatural hokum that paradoxically makes 'Master' much more mundane"	NEU
United States	Oli Welsh Polygon	"'Master' pairs a smart racial-politics story with relentless scares (...) [Its] creeping, wintry style suggests she has a real affinity for the genre at its most chilling and Kubrickian"	POS

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