Regina Hall and Mariama Diallo talk to Infobae about the narrative of horror and racism in “Master”

“Race is not a feature that exists outside of me, so if I am going to place my own perspective on any type of film, all my experiences will come with it,” says Mariama Diallo, who has just made her feature film debut with Master, recently released in the catalogue of Prime Video. His previous works (the shorts Hair Wolf and White Devil) are just a preview of what he did in this film that mixes horror and racism.

From the perspectives of two African-American women, the plot addresses the torment that both live in a university in New England, where the majority of the student population is white. Infobae talked to the director, Diallo, and her protagonist, Regina Hall (Scary Movie), about this film with tints very similar to what has been experienced lately in racially themed horror (see Run away! and the miniseries Them).

For the filmmaker, the origin of this idea is not directly related to previous productions that delved into a similar genre, but to establishing a central character with whom she could feel close. “I knew I was going to write it from the point of view of a black woman and the reality is that certainly, in this country, it also involves some kind of understanding of racial dynamics and everything else at stake,” she said in a video call interview. “I wouldn't necessarily connect this film to any kind of recent trend, but rather as part of a long-time horror lineage.”

In Hall's case, it was “challenging” to bring to life the newly appointed head of studies at the fictional Ancaster university, Gail Bishop. “There are many emotions that come into play when she recognizes many of the things about herself and about the institution that she held so long [...] She can't keep ignoring them,” she tells of her character who, like student Jasmine Moore (Zoe Renee), is tormented here.

“I think what Mariamma did so well in writing was to start in this place that is really hopeful and optimistic and evolve from that moment on. And then, still with a thread of hope,” he added. For the actress, Gail changes towards the end, but she has not been defeated so that it would translate into the structural racism of society, seen from the space of a school. Despite having gained prestige, she opts for a different start after reevaluating and questioning everything in her environment.

Mariama Diallo completely agrees and nods as she listens to her main star speak. Regina Hall expands a little more in this final message that Master leaves to the viewer: “I could say that there is a fog of hope in the fog of everything that is happening and you see that Gail has a changing direction but a new and deep sense of self.”

The meaning behind ghosts in Master

Many series and films that include ghost narratives amount to be much more than this when you unravel what those spectra actually represent. In Master, there is such a moment of enlightenment about who truly runs Ancaster and how an educational institution can be drawn into its past by more modern measures being applied a century later. What is the meaning of ghosts for their screenwriter and director?

“I really love that viewers get their own interpretation. I love that when you got to the end you had your own idea what it's all about. I think, metaphorically and probably literally, Ancaster is definitely a school that sinks into its past and is obsessed with the ghosts of its past. In the end, we really see the degree to which that is true,” Diallo concluded.

Master is available to watch from Friday, March 18, at Prime Video.

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