Directed by David Lowery (The Green Knight), Mother Mary is a hypnotic, unique type of ghost story centring on an iconic pop star dealing with her trauma and mental health. Anne Hathaway (The Devil Wears Prada) plays the titular Mary, as she reunites with her former best friend and costume design Sam Anselm (Micaela Coel) after many years. Tension looms and long-buried wounds rise to the surface as the pair work on a dress for Mother Mary’s comeback performance. Superbly acted with mesmerizing visuals, an engaging script and stellar costume design, Mother Mary is a fever dream that deals with the ghosts of the past in a way we’ve never quite seen before.
Mother Mary is not your regular pop star flick. Though it does feature theatrical costumes, glitzy performance sequences and plenty of music, it takes a dialogue driven approach that we don’t typically see from this genre. The film is mostly a two-hander, built from intense, emotional conversations between Mary and Sam. These conversations are not the everyday type, as the pair communicate in monologues and metaphors, unpacking past traumas whilst fixing a broken bond in the process. As daunting as that may seem for the viewer, every word manages to keep you hooked, due to both the clever script and excellent delivery of it by our talented actresses. Blending blunt, dark humor with supernatural-type elements that work as a depiction of finding your sense of self after a dark period, Mother Mary is intricately woven, just like the dresses Sam has created for her. It may be flowery in language, but it’s very digestible. David Lowery showcases his knack for writing alongside his direction, delivering an intense yet beautiful script that dares to explore its themes in thought provoking, unique ways.
Both Hathaway and Coel have a tough task upon them, as it’s up to the pair to keep us invested in their conversations, dysfunctional bond and therefore the story as a whole. Expectedly, they soar. Micaela Coel’s (I May Destroy You) Sam communicates in ways we rarely see in film. She is sharp and blunt yet somehow metaphorical and loquacious. Her delivery is stoic in nature but the words she is using are fuelled by emotion. Coel even manages to inject some razor-sharp humour into her monologues that help ground things and add some humanity. She is simply captivating, making it hard to imagine anyone else in this complex role. Anne Hathaway breathes life into pop star Mother Mary, delivering the most human on-screen celebrity we’ve ever witnessed. Her performance is fuelled by emotion and hurt as she grapples with loss of identity, the breakdown of her friendship wit Sam, declining mental health, physical injury and other past traumas that she’s pushed through in order to bring her music to fans. Every word spoken is believably fraught, and she delivers her characters pain through more than just words and facial expressions. One scene in particular, featuring Hathaway performing a contemporary dance routine with no music, tells the audience everything we need to know whilst saying nothing at all. Hathaway is a revelation.
Making Mother Mary the true shining star it is are the visuals and sound. Of course, the story is largely based on dresses and costumes, signifying how our clothes can tell stories and emit thoughts, feelings and emotions. Suffice it to say that the glamorous, provocative and at times regal costumes delivered by Mother Mary are an absolute beauty. From the halo that adorns Mary’s head to the Joan of Arc-inspired blood stain and armour, each piece is intricately designed to showcase what costumes can really do. The finale dress that the story leads up to is a wonder, there to pay tribute to Mary’s entire career. The cinematography also stuns, weaving abstract imagery with playful staging, whether that be whilst Mary’s performing to a large crowd in an arena or simply chatting with Sam about their past. The majority of the film is set in one place, Sam’s house/studio, and the area is used in such clever ways. Much like a stage play, areas of the room transform into different sets that help the pair tell different parts of their stories. The cherry on top is the music – not just the songs from Charli xcx, Jack Antonoff and FKA Twigs that Mary performs, but the original score from Daniel Hart. Immersive and engaging whilst effortlessly matching the tone of the film, the music is yet another element that simply leaves you hypnotized.
The strange quality Mother Mary possesses won’t be for everyone, and the dialogue driven approach certainly demands your patience and attention, but at the same time, it’s the kind of weird that grabs you by the shoulders and never lets your attention waiver. Through career-best performances from Hathaway and Coel, the most stunning visual style and mesmerizing performance sequences, Mother Mary is a meticulously crafted drama thriller hybrid that explores the familiar ideas of trauma and mental health in new, exciting ways.
Grade: B
Follow us on MSN for more content like this.
Mother Mary
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.
