'Mother Mary' is Divine
The tagline in Mother Mary says, “This is not a ghost story. This is not a love story.” Wrong on both accounts. Not only is Mother Mary a ghost and love story, but it is also one of the best of the two released this year. Mother Mary is almost a religious experience in the craftsmanship of the work. On this rare occasion, you will not be tempted to check your phone during the showing because you’ll be completely hypnotized by David Lowery’s spell.
If you weren’t a big fan of Ghost Story like yours truly, Mother Mary is so impressive that you’ll want to revisit it. Much like most filmmakers who become legends by honing their craft over time, Lowery keeps getting better with each film. He takes elements of his previous pictures to make something that’s authentic. The daringness in trusting the audience not to leave out of boredom or frustration is commendable. For a huge chunk of the movie, you won’t know what the characters are referring to, as it’s intentionally oblique.
Something happened years ago between two friends who seemed inseparable. Mother Mary (Anne Hathaway) is a pop star who had a breakdown, leading her to step away from the public eye. What she did or said remains shrouded in mystery. When we find out what happened, you may gasp. It takes a whole lot for me to clutch my pearls, but Mary’s meltdown certainly made me do just that. In desperate need of a dress for her comeback concert, Mary seeks the help of her best designer and former BFF, Sam Anselm (Michaela Coel). When Mary runs into Sam, she’s a vulnerable wreck. Yet that doesn’t stop Sam from treating Mary like garbage. Mary did something to Sam that broke up their decades-long relationship. It’s never revealed what it is, which is admittedly frustrating since the movie shows everything else.
It’s rare in film to see a black person in a role that’s dominant over a white person. 99% of the time, it’s the other way around. It doesn’t come across as woke soapboxing; the power dynamic between the two is real. Being a world-famous pop star, Mary treated everyone around her terribly. But the one person she can’t talk back to is Sam, probably because Sam knows a ton of bad things about Mary that could permanently tank her career.
To go toe to toe with Anne Hathaway is an enormous acting challenge. Michaela Coel rises to the occasion. Where Mary represents pain and vulnerability, Sam resembles anger. Coel does a great job giving her co-star a long, deep, spiteful stare while verbally dressing her down. In some ways, Michaela Coel stands out more than Anne Hathaway. While Hathaway is phenomenal as always, she never stops crying throughout the whole picture. It makes sense for her character, but it comes across as a single note, with Anne cast only as a wounded animal. In the meantime, Ms. Coel is showing a range of emotions, playing a brilliant counteropposite to Hathaway’s vulnerable character. Both leads in the film are mesmerizing.
David Lowery is the best filmmaker depicting the paranormal today. Not since The Sixth Sense has the presence of a spirit felt as alive as it does in Lowery’s films. There’s a spirit tethering Mary and Sam. It’s not just a spooky ghost. The spirit is an allegory for pain and forgiveness. Anyone who’s ever had a breakdown can relate to the hurt Mary is going through. We hurt people. We don’t mean to. Some of us are genuinely good all around, while a lot of us live with shame. Some of us live with that regret our whole lives because confronting the folks we harmed is challenging, since they likely want to inflict the pain we put them through. But you need to face your past to gain clarity. There are a lot of films about forgiveness out there, but they don’t cut as deep as this one.
The movie starts with its character at her lowest point. Then builds up from there. Mother Mary is part stage play, part horror film, part concert. All of these ingredients blend beautifully in what isn’t a horror film as much as an existential spiritual film. It’s about how we treat celebrities like Gods causing them to be haunted by their ego. If you’re not into fashion or pop songs, this movie might change your mind.
Mother Mary breaks down why fashion and popular music have just as much soul as independent works of art. Dresses aren’t just pretty. They’re who you are. Your clothes tell people whether you’re joyful, scorned, or hopeless. The songs we sing accentuate our feelings. Mother Mary isn’t just about hate, ego, and forgiveness; it’s also about the importance of art. For many of us, art is all we have. For others, they desperately need art when all their favorite sports teams stink, and there’s no other form of entertainment. Without expression, we hang ourselves in internal conflict.
What David Lowery produces here is one of the best pictures of the year, within a year that will be chock full of big-hitting Oscar contenders. Mother Mary obliterates cliches not by subverting expectations, but by creating a dreamlike play with a clear direction. Mother Mary may not be for everyone. It’s a depressing, sit. But if you can power through the grief, you may feel a heavenly optimism.
Mother Mary is currently playing in New York and LA. It will be released nationwide on Friday.
