Reel Review Mom

If you’ve been following this blog for any amount of time, you already know how deeply I love David Lowery’s work. To be brutally honest my first attempt at watching, A Ghost Story, was a failure; I didn’t like it. I couldn’t get past the 8-minute apple-pie eating scene TBH. But, I gave it another shot and boy am I glad I did.  Lowery is spectacular….his writing/dialogue/ thought process, is amazing. It is thought-provoking, intriguing, stimulating and passionate. Films like A Ghost Story completely rewired my brain, proving that Lowery has an unparalleled ability to take profound, existential human emotions and wrap them in the most visually striking, surreal narratives. Whether he’s exploring the quiet devastation of time through a bedsheet ghost or diving into Arthurian folklore, he never misses.

So, when I heard his newest A24 project, Mother Mary, was going to be an atmospheric, psychological pop melodrama, my expectations were astronomically high. I am thrilled to report that he has delivered an absolute masterpiece.

The Setup: Two Women, One Ghostly History
Mother Mary isn’t your standard music industry comeback story. It is a bold, gothic, and hallucinatory deep-dive into fame, creative ownership, and the fragile threads that bind artistic collaborators. The plot revolves around a highly charged reunion between two incredibly complex women:

Mother Mary (Anne Hathaway): A globally worshipped pop superstar who has been at the top of the industry for two decades. Brilliantly, we never learn her real name—a deliberate choice that highlights how completely she has been consumed by her stage persona and the ever-growing “halos” she wears. Facing a severe identity crisis ahead of a massive comeback tour, she is desperate to find her way back to herself. 

Sam Anselm (Michaela Coel): A brilliant, self-described “Miss Havisham” of a dressmaker. She is Mary’s estranged best friend and former costume designer. A decade ago, they had a bitter, mysterious falling out, leaving Sam to retreat to a secluded fashion studio where she works quietly alongside her assistant, Hilda (Hunter Schafer). 

The narrative shifts into gear when Mary unexpectedly flies to London and shows up at Sam’s studio. She needs a dress for her return to the stage, but more importantly, she is seeking a homecoming. What follows is a psychological standoff. Mary wants forgiveness and collaboration; Sam demands accountability and three separate apologies before she’ll even listen. 

The “Lowery Magic” (No Spoilers!)
I absolutely refuse to spoil the third act of this film, because the surreal, breathtaking places Lowery takes the story need to be experienced firsthand. However, I can tell you exactly why this movie works so well.

If you loved the lingering, haunting themes of A Ghost Story, you will feel right at home here. Lowery brings his trademark eerie atmosphere to the chaotic, synthetic world of pop music. He uses literal and figurative hauntings to explore what happens when you pour your soul into a collaborative friendship, only to feel like your creativity has been co-opted. 

It asks a devastating question: What happens when the art you made together spirals completely out of your control?

The chemistry and tension between Hathaway and Coel are electric. The film is largely grounded in these two women sitting in a room, verbally sparring, and cutting to the core of their shared history, guilt, and unresolved pain. The emotional stakes feel incredibly raw, yet the cinematic execution is as stylish and grandiose as a stadium concert. 

A quick shoutout to the music: The original songs for the film were penned by Jack Antonoff, Charli xcx, and FKA twigs. They are authentic, catchy, and perfectly ground the surreal visuals into a reality that feels just like our modern pop landscape. 

Final Thoughts
David Lowery has crafted something visually stunning, narratively opaque, and emotionally devastating. Mother Mary is an epic exploration of the cult of celebrity and the ineffable magic of making art with someone you love. If you appreciate cinema that isn’t afraid to get weird, dark, and intimately human, you need to see this movie immediately.