‘Mother Mary’ Review: A Strange but Mesmerizing Pop Fever Dream

David Lowery, the director of A Ghost Story and The Green Knight,’s long-awaited Mother Mary has finally hit theaters, and it is just as weird as you think it is. The film follows iconic pop sensation Mother Mary as she reunites with an estranged friend from her past in order to get a new dress for her comeback concert. What unravels is years of pent-up anger, sadness, and trauma that threatens to ruin the girls forever. They must exercise the ghosts from their past to return to who they really are. It’s hard to describe Mother Mary because it feels like multiple movies in one. It is at one point a play like conversational drama and at another a ghost story of sorts. Read our full review of Mother Mary below. 

Mother Mary is definitely an acquired taste. For some it will be boring, for others enthralling, and others perhaps forgettable. The one aspect of the film that is undeniable is the performances. The central character is played by Anne Hathaway, who is as charming and spellbinding as ever. She plays the out of this world pop star believably, while also bringing her off-stage self to life earnestly. Hathaway’s musical performance is also exceptional. When framing the character as one of the biggest pop stars on the planet, it is really important to have an actor who can challenge that challenge. Anne Hathaway is that kind of actress. Her main scene partner is Michaela Coel, best known for the miniseries I May Destroy You. The main takeaway from Mother Mary is that Coel is a star and should be cast in more projects immediately. Hathaway and Coel played off each other in a way that kept me on the edge of my seat. I never knew what they would say or do next, which made the long stints of dialogue work so well. 

One of the major problems with Mother Mary is that it does not have more live performances. The film bursts onto the screen with a performance of ‘Burial’ from the original soundtrack, and it is a highlight of the film. When making a film about a made-up pop icon, the film has a lot of heavy lifting to do when it comes to convincing us that they fit the pop star label. The songs created by Charli XCX, Jack Antonoff, and FKA Twigs for the film are simply excellent. Anne Hathaway’s stage presence is reminiscent of Madonna, which is high praise. These performance scenes were so captivating that it made me want even more. Like I genuinely would watch a Mother Mary concert film if given the chance. It will be a little hard for some audience members to handle the long stretches of this film that are just conversations. I loved every minute of that, but I understand wanting more of the performance or flashback scenes interspersed throughout the movie. It does feel disjointed in a way. Starting out with a big jolt of energy, then becoming a meek battle of the wits, then transforming into a ghost story. At some point you have to admit it is jagged, but that doesn’t mean it’s not intriguing. If you go in with an open heart and mind, then you could get a lot of this film. 

Mother Mary is written and directed by David Lowery and stars Anne Hathaway, Michaela Coel, Hunter Schafer, FKA Twigs, and Kaia Gerber. The film was released on April 24. 

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