Sundance Review: Mariama Diallo’s ‘Master’
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.