Director David Lowery (The Old Man and the Gun) unites with musician Charli XCX to deliver an often-mesmerizing work of cinema, with vivid and eloquent costume designs, cinematography, and a vibrant score and soundtrack. Lowery’s film is about a world-famous musician, “Mother Mary” (Anne Hathaway, The Idea of You) as she reunites with her childhood friend and former costume designer, Sam (Michaela Coel, The Christophers) after parting professional and personal ways years ago. As they reunite to work with each other once more, it becomes clear that a spiritual force links the two friends back together, as Sam helps Mary create one final, elegant costume for her next show. While Mother Mary comes with immense visual allure, I found myself unraveling a mysterious film far too quickly, and realizing the message as early as I did left me feeling slightly robbed of figuring out the premise, even if I enjoyed every moment.
As an overall setting, I am reminded of the powerful way that Smile 2 used a fictional hip-hop artist as the protagonist encountering a supernatural force. It makes for a provocative setting. The unique angles from the supporting cast and production design feel nuanced and timely and keep an interesting cosmopolitan tone amid ghostly forces. Much like Smile 2, Mother Mary blends the chic lifestyle of superstardom with a ghostly force, this time in the form of an elegant, fabric-textured shade of red floating through the sky, in all the ways a shade of red can represent: love, pain, passion, etc.
In tandem with the film’s visual design, Mother Mary comes with a music score and playlist that capture exciting performances from Hathaway as well as the talented ensemble. I enjoyed every concert segment and was pleasantly surprised to hear Hathaway’s vocals blend to form a fictional-yet-believable modern-day pop star. Furthermore, Hathaway and Coel portray a versatile relationship in their performances that drives the story forward with enjoyable characters.
Once one takes a step back and looks at the bigger picture, however, it is clear that Lowery put most of his attention into a gripping premise and stunning aesthetic, and less in figuring out a brilliant way to bring his story full circle. The jig is up fairly early, and what was once an intricate plot meshes with a more familiar message, becoming jarringly obvious long before the film is ready to conclude. What comes last is a decent but unimpressive conclusion, lacking the mystery that the first half of the film contains.
Adam Vaughn
Adam Vaughn is a graduate of the Film & Moving Image program at Stevenson University, with a focus in Cinematography and Production. He also has a minor in Theater and Media Performance. Adam works as a freelance photographer and videographer, focusing his craft on creating compelling photographic and cinematic imagery. Adam is excited to join the Film Festival Today team and explore the world of cinema and visual arts.