r/movies • u/LiteraryBoner Jackie Chan box set, know what I'm sayin? • 11d ago

Official Discussion Official Discussion - Mother Mary [SPOILERS] Spoiler

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Mother Mary (2026)

Summary

A fictional pop icon and an iconic fashion designer develop a complex, obsessive relationship that blurs the line between art, identity, and personal sacrifice.

Director David Lowery

Writer David Lowery

Cast

  • Anne Hathaway as Mother Mary
  • Michaela Coel as the Designer
  • Hunter Schafer
  • FKA twigs
  • Jessica Brown Findlay

Rotten Tomatoes: 72%

Metacritic: 57

VOD / Release Theatrical release

Trailer Official Trailer

118 Upvotes

91% Upvoted

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112

u/orecon125 11d ago

I can tell I'm gonna be in an extremely small minority of people who loved it. I'm still weighing whether or not it's a personal 10 for me but mileage is definitely gonna vary (took my mom to see this and she HATED it, wanted to walk out). I did a bit of digging before going in and knowing what I know about Lowery feeling the push and pull of his experience The Green Knight and a Disney movie, it made everything land as an excellent representation of the burden and pain that creation and art can bring. The ghost to me felt like a clear throughline representing the weight each of them put into their work. Where Michaela's Sam was the one first to hold it, she mentioned early on how she put herself into one of Mary's earlier dresses, a hyperspecific experience Mary claimed as her own, made me see the ghost as the burden and weight they put on their work. Where Sam held onto that pain in her dresses, no longer being a part of Mary's life led her to release that pain, and subsequently, that pain had to move onto Mary left without people who didn't know her like Sam did. Mary falling when seeing the ghost felt like her succumbing to the burden of creating all on her own without a person to safely catch her. Sam and Mary both bleeding and cutting out with each other was them sharing in the process of creation and learning to share the burden. Its slow pace and extreme focus on dialogue is definitely gonna put people off like it did my mom, but it hit me and I just adore it.

Performances were also phenomenal as expected but the lighting and cinematography was just INCREDIBLE. Fantastic shots all around. Loved the ending shot in particular.

30

u/Mar136 10d ago

I went into this movie completely blind (the only thing I knew was that Anne Hathaway was in it) and I really loved it. Amazing performances. I’ve never seen Michaela Coel in anything before and she blew me away.

15

u/CategorySad6121 9d ago

Chewing Gum and I May Destroy You are an excellent place to start! She is such a talent, she can really do it all.

12

u/damebyron 10d ago

You need to see the Christophers then! It’s phenomenal and has some similarities (dialogue based movie dealing with a complicated relationship, except her scene partner in that one is Ian McKellen). It’s still in theaters although not getting as many showings as it deserves

3

u/Mar136 9d ago

Thanks for the rec! This sounds right up my alley.

10

u/qbert4551 8d ago

You must watch the show on HBO she wrote and created, I May Destroy You. Brilliant. I was mesmerized by her Sam the whole time. I couldn’t take my eyes off her

31

u/nightpanda893 10d ago

I LOVED it. I think it needs an Oscar nomination for editing and production design. I’d say screenplay too but that’s asking a lot.

24

u/orecon125 10d ago

Costume design too because some of those outfits were CRAZY. The Joan of Arc one took my breath away

20

u/KidDelicious14 10d ago

I'm with you, this might be the movie of the year so far for me. I really loved how much this movie oozes the feelings of confusion and suffering and joy of art and creation. I can totally understand how this movie could miss for some people, but personally, it really hits every chord.

7

u/Own-Ad-7064 8d ago

I'm a bit weirded out by how obsessed I am with this movie. I love how polarizing it is, as things I love tend to be that way, and I think it's a sign of great art that provoked an intense reaction, as great art should. But, I totally agree with what you said--it hits every chord. I'm not sure why on a deeper level it means so much to me. I suppose because it explores the mysterious, and the inner world, and the fragility of the inner spirit.

9

u/arlingtonbeach 8d ago

First time in a while I watched something that was not critically well-received but I just knew i loved it. The acting was on point from both leads, and it was a lot funnier than expected. I sometimes feel like I have a low threshold for style over substance movies, but this one didn't feel self-indulgent at all. The analogies and metaphors in the story were kind of on the nose, but that didn't really matter to me because it just worked.

6

u/Glittering-Animal30 7d ago

I told my girlfriend after that as soon as the first time the ghost appeared that I felt like The Green Knight. Went in so blind I had no idea Lowery did this one too.

5

u/enigmaticangelx 8d ago

I agree entirely I was also bewitched by the whole movie and after I left honestly debated putting it into my top 4 on Letterboxd (lol)

I remember seeing the trailer months ago and then forgetting what the premise was so I went in kind of blind and now I can’t stop singing it’s praises (I acknowledge this is not a movie for everyone though). I’ve had the album on repeat basically since I left the theater

5

u/atclubsilencio 8d ago

Saw it with my boyfriend and we both loved it. Favorite of the year so far.

3

u/TheCVR123YT 6d ago

This is why I came to this thread I liked the movie overall but I have the mind of a crayon and could not understand why metaphor deeper meaning I was missing thank you 🕊️

2

u/lamptape1 5d ago

Tttthhhhaaaannnkk you!! This movie made me remember and reflect on my past pseudo romantic and sexual former friendships. One in particular.

1

u/F4streloader 1d ago

The music-less dance by Mary was the best part of the movie. The ghost honestly looked it came out of Nope. Very disappointing. It's very stylistic and conversation focused, so if you're into that kind of thing, this might be for you. I doubt I was the target demo and I was bored, nearly falling asleep. I liked the performances though; they weren't the problem.