I often think that I'm a big fan of director David Lowery. Maybe I'm not. Maybe I have just been so completely won over by one of his features (The Green Knight) that it has affected my view of his entire filmography. Regardless, I was very much looking forward to Mother Mary, especially knowing that it would be a film keeping both Anne Hathaway and Michaela Coel front and centre throughout.
Hathaway plays a pop star, Mother Mary, in the midst of a crisis. She needs a new dress for an upcoming show, and there are only a few days left to get things just right. So she visits Sam Anselm (Michaela Coel), a woman she used to be very close to. Their relationship soured though, so much so that Sam hasn't even listened to any of her ex-friend's music since they parted ways. Can things be sorted out, or are there too many dark spirits clinging to them like wet fabric to make a new start impossible.
Let's start with the positives. Both Hathaway and Coel are on superb form here. The former is particularly brilliant, absolutely convincing as a performer in the mould of Madonna/Lady Gaga, while also equally convincing as someone completely drained and more vulnerable when not bathed by the glow of the stage lighting. Coel does a line in delivering absolutely unvarnished truth to others that puts most other performers in the shade, and she's brilliantly prickly and scabrous here. While Hunter Schafer, Sian Clifford, and FKA Twigs do well in supporting roles, the film works best when playing out as a two-hander between the leads.
There's also an impressively realistic vibe when it comes to the music and performance. This is another movie featuring work from Charli XCX, and she's proving to be quite the asset to film-makers after a soundscape that feels very much blended from the chart hits of recent years.
There's also very little to complain about when it comes to the visuals. The cinematography, set decoration, and costume design are all absolutely on point, helped along by some editing that allows for interesting transitions between past and present, and reality and anything that feels at least just a step away from it.
That's all of the good stuff though. But I understand if you're thinking that what I've just praised is more than enough to make this seem like an excellent film. If you're after something stylish and visual then this may work for you. Sadly, Lowery really lets everyone down with his writing. What could have been an interesting and intriguing exploration of two characters viewing their shared history in different ways instead becomes weighed down by far too many metaphorical moments. It's too much, the dramatic equivalent of the "hat on a hat" problem that's usually complained about in comedy material.
I'm glad that I watched this, because Hathaway is THAT good in her role, and Coel does well enough to match her, despite the two very different energies, but it's not one I'll ever revisit. Lowery the director should have given Lowery the writer more time to figure out better ways to approach the material.
5/10
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