La specialista

This will mean a lot more to certain people than it will to others. If you have lived through an experience like the main characters are going through - you will understand. There is a heavy message, not even hidden in the movie. And the actors are doing their best to put it on screen.

It is three stories of sorts that are being told. And all have their shades of grey in them ... there are scenes that are quite crystal clear too of course. Like a party scene, where you can literally feel the anxiety and the stress our younger heroine has to go through ... some of it may be in her head ... doesn't make it easier to endure. For her or for us - even if we are just watching the scene unfold.

There are things that are thrown into your face and there are other things that are way more subtle than that. And then there are scenes that will shock and maybe haunt you. This is not just a drama ... it is horror too. Everyday horror but also ... something different. If you can't put your finger on it ... you try to explain it ... that can work or not ... the movie does try to put a lot in it ... and tries to convey a message ... one that needs to be said and told ... unfortunately it loses focus on more than one occasion ... and while the ending could and almost is a punch in the gut (in a "good" sense) ... some of the impact has been soften by all the extra noise woven into it ... still a decent effort to say the least ... and again, will work for some more than for others.

Master

This movie was quite a mixed bags of different themes, all of them being different aspects racism. However we never saw any specific targeted attack except for some graffiti and an object on the doorknob, this followed a party where Jasmine had stole her roommate boyfriend, so we were expecting some retribution.

The movie had a nihilistic overtone where nothing would ever change and nothing could be done, if this were truly the case you would move to a place where you were outwardly the same as everybody else. The movie suggested further that her place in the school and that of 8 others students of colour was mere tokenism, thus seriously stretched a point.

Over these issues we had some horror, racial appropriation and repeating figures from the past.

It was a mess, it could have been good, really good had they stuck with the English professor who was not what she seemed.

I'm giving this a weak 5 outta 10, the atmosphere was good but the script let this down.

Master is more concerned as a social commentary instead of as a horror film, but that doesn't mean negates its "scarryness." One must give Mariama Diallo a credit for her strong direction. Master definitely fascinating to watch. However, the film also suffers from a lack of a solid focus while the conveying process of its theme can a little bit falter sometimes. The ambiguity of its many aspects doesn't help either.

Well that was confusing. After it finally ended I had no idea what the point of this film was. It started out ok but about half way in I was completely lost. The last half of the film was a complete mind ****. How I got through it is beyond me. It was shot well and has some good acting so 5 stars for a basic film.

Master (2022) is a movie I recently watched on Amazon Prime. The storyline follows a woman who joins a college and serves as both a teacher and overseas one of the dorm halls. She quickly realizes something is off with the staff and their outlook. Meanwhile, a young black woman is given a specific room in her dorm with its own checkered past.

This movie is directed by Mariama Diallo in her directorial debut and stars Regina Hall (Scary Movie), Zoe Renee (Jinn), Julia Nightingale (Evil), Talia Ryder (West Side Story) and Ella Hunt (The More You Ignore).

The storyline for this movie had so much potential but didn't attack the depths of the topics the way I was hoping for. The acting is solid and the topics referenced are real, but how the characters handled them came up short. The horror elements had potential and some eerie elements; but again, didn't push the elements deep enough to excite me.

Overall this is one of those almost good movies that falls short. I would score this a 3.5-4/10 and recommend skipping it.