"Mother Mary" REVIEW

Published on 4/25/2026 

Written by: Braylon Mitchell 

Directed by: David Lowery 

Cast: Anne Hathaway, Michaela Coel, Hunter Schafer, etc. 

Plot:  Long-buried wounds rise to the surface when iconic pop star Mother Mary reunites with her estranged best friend and former costume designer, Sam Anselm, on the eve of her comeback performance. 

REVIEW 

David Lowery's newest film is one that we've known about for three years now, as it was announced back in 2023 and subsequently assumed by many year after year to release. Lowery partnered with A24 has resulted in some hits (2017's "A Ghost Story" and 2021's "The Green Knight") meaning that a lot of indie-loving cinema-goers have held high anticipation for this film, admittedly as of late a lessened amount as the film didn't receive much attention going into its spring release. I didn't really know what to expect going into this film, and funnily enough that was the exact way to go into it as throughout the film I didn't really know what to make of what I was watching. I now understand why it took so long for this film to release, as "Mother Mary' is a truly bold vision of a film- and one that is certainly hard to sell. Lowery takes an incredibly stylized, original approach to this film with how he directs his two lead actresses' performances, the themes  that he wants to tackle within this central relationship, and the visual craft of the film- building an enclosed, reflective dark atmosphere that serves a plot that's both a dialogue heavy chamber piece and a supernatural story. Much of what "actually happens" in plot is left to our own interpretation, guided by Lowery to understand the thematic purpose within this relationship between former best friends and what he has to say about pop star culture but nonetheless quite open ended and strange in execution. I admired the pure boldness in concept and there are elements of the film that are thoroughly engaging, but I can't say I fully enjoyed this film. It's aggressiveness in style can come across as tiring at times, especially when these characters aren't bringing to the table as much depth and reason to care as the heavy handed script is trying hard to achieve- pair that with stylishly heightened editing and constant intensity within the two lead performances from Anne Hathaway and Michaela Coel, it doesn't always gel well no matter how interesting the concepts or visuals are. 

THREE BEST ELEMENTS

• The score and soundtrack. Composed by Daniel Hart, this film's score is its clearest standout. It's a techno, synth pop score that pumps out energy and conveys the film's atmosphere so well- in particular, strongly encapsulating the supernatural tension and beauty. Just in the final twenty minutes or so of the film, the score alone steals the entire show. Phenomenal work. All of the original pop songs written for the film were very good too, and utilized well within the context of the plot. 

• Anne Hathaway's performance. As I alluded to in the paragraph above, I found both of the film's lead performances to be intense and directed purposefully so- yet, I liked one of the performances and didn't like the other. The other being Michaela Coel, who is fine in the film and is an actress whose work I've loved in the past but for some reason I didn't like what she was going for with this performance. Whereas, I really liked the verge of collapse pressure that Hathaway captures and the physicality within her performance was very impressive- I'm thinking of a notable scene where she performs very intense choreography without any music. 

• David Lowery's direction. Whether or not I fully clicked with everything he tried with this film, I can't deny that the originality he taps into is very admirable. He's a great director. 

WORST ELEMENT 

• The film often comes across as tiring in its constant parade of high stylization paired with a lot of bulk within the script. To put it in simpler terms, the film can feel quite pretentious. 

RATING

6/10

It's a bold and interesting film but not one I'd rush to recommended, buddy.