"MASTER" // SXSW 2022

BY MATEO MORENO

Institutionalized racism is the subject on hand here, as MASTER presents itself as a different kind of horror film. Not only does it feature the bumps in the night, but it tells of the terror in the dark, especially as a Black student in a predominantly white school. The film focuses on several black students and faculty members. Regina Hall is Gail Bishop, the first African-American Master at New England University Ancaster. This isn't lost on anyone, especially the staff who seem to continue to pat itself on the back for being so "diverse" to choose a black woman as the university's master. There's also the Freshman named Jasmine (Zoe Renee), a hardworking and doesn't understand why her papers in Professor Liv Beckman's class (played by Amber Gray). She's also told about the curse of her room, room 302. Supposedly, the campus was built on the grounds of a witch burning in the 17th century and anyone who is unlucky enough to live in room 302 will be haunted by her curse. Why room 302 in particular? Seems that there's another dark secret that happened within that room involving a young black woman.

Gail herself starts to witness strange things in the shadows and slowly starts to see through the fake progressiveness of the institution that she works for. Her friend Liv is called out by Jasmine to the University, as Jasmine believes that she is being treated unjustly by the Professor. Secrets begin to unravel and the horror stories that seems to be sneaking around in the darkness begin to clash with the horrors of modern day racism and white privilege.

Is MASTER a horror film? A cautionary tale of institutionalized racism? It's both and much more. Writer/director Mariama Diallo has crafted a powerful film here, with a stunning performance by Regina Hall anchoring the entire film. But it should also be noted how good Zoe Renee and Amber Gray are as well. With brutal honestness and a no holds bar approach, this is a film that tears the genre apart and doesn't want to even put it back together. It leaves the scars of what we just witness lying on the ground, still broken, still shattered with a profound story left in our memories.

GRADE: A

WRITTEN AND DIRECTED BY Mariama Diallo STARRING Regina Hall, Zoe Renee, Talia Ryder, Talia Balsam, Amber Gray. SELECTED AS PART OF THE 2022 SXSW FILM FESTIVAL. FOR MORE INFO: MASTER

"I LOVE MY DAD" // SXSW REVIEW

BY MATEO MORENO

Patton Oswalt is Chuck, a preoccupied divorced Dad who had failed time and time again when his son Franklin (James Morosini) needed him. So much that now Franklin has decided to cut his disappointing father out of his life by cutting him off of all social media. Desperate to make up for lost time and make up for being such a disappointment, he creates a fake online account and haphazardly catfishes his son. He borrows the profile of a local waitress and pretends to be a pretty young woman named Becca who shows interest in Franklin online. Being that Franklin's own mental state is unsteady (He's deeply depressed and has recently tried to take his own life), he looks past all the red flags, like that fact that her account has no other friends. Franklin and Becca grow close, and Chuck simply cannot see the damage he is causing, and the soon to be shitstorm that is approaching.

I LOVE MY DAD is a squirm inducing comedy, meant to make you feel uncomfortable, and boy does it succeed on that front (Ever thought about sexting with your father who you think is someone else? Yeah, they go there). However, instead of going for a dark drama route, they go towards a dark comedy, keeping much of the film light, in spite of the uncomfortable material. Patton Oswalt makes the generally unlikable character of Chuck likable and relatable even. His humor is nuanced and sharp, with a pain showcasing how he desperately wants to connect but doesn't know how. James Morosini as his slipping away son, turns in a nuanced, broken and heartfelt performance. As he is also the writer/director (and tells us that this is based on his own relationship with his father), he pushes the envelope with how twisted his father will go on his quest to get his son back. The film shows how awful each of these scenarios are, rightfully so, but what's surprising is how forgiving it is. This may be due to Morosini's own forgiveness of his father, but after watching it, you may not find yourself nearly as forgiving as Franklin and find yourself screaming at the screen for him to run far, far away. In the end, I LOVE MY DAD will entertain you or frustrate you, depending on how abusive you find Chuck's behavior. 

GRADE: B-

WRITTEN AND DIRECTED BY James Morosini STARRING Patton Oswalt, James Morosini, Claudia Sulewski, Rachel Dratch, Ricky Velez, Lil Rel Howery, Amy Landecker. SELECTED AS PART OF THE 2022 SXSW FILM FESTIVAL. FOR MORE INFO: I LOVE MY DAD

"THE CELLAR" // SXSW 2022

BY MATEO MORENO

The classic setup of a family moving into a creepy old house gets an update in THE CELLAR, the new haunted house chiller from Irish writer/director Brendan Muldowney. Elisha Cuthbert and Eoin Macken play Keira and Brian Woods, a couple who, along with their daughter Ellie (Abby Fitz), move into a brand new house. The creeps and scares are deliberately off camera often, making it all the more creepy. This is a house in the middle of nowhere, something Ellie absolutely hates. However, this is truly a film following a mother who is about to risk everything and go up against anything, even a portal to hell, to save her family.

Muldowney specifically states that he wanted to build a film that he could watch with his daughter, so don't expect a profanity laced, gore filled, nudity filled horror film. This has all the trappings of of an old school horror classic. When we do get into the third act is when the film truly excels and the creepy ending wraps everything in a deliciously macabre bow. Cuthbert is cold and stilted, which at first seems like perhaps bad acting, but the further the film goes it fits in well with the character and is simply who Kiera is. Muldowney keeps things very spooky and refreshing in a tale that brings a timeless horror feel to a new generation of moviegoers.

GRADE: B+

WRITTEN & DIRECTED BY Brendan Muldowney STARRING Elisha Cuthbert, Eoin Macken, Abby Fitz, Dylan Fitzmaurice-Brady. SELECTED AS PART OF THE 2022 SXSW FILM FESTIVAL. FOR MORE INFO: THE CELLAR