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Mother Mary” Opens in Select Theaters as Critics Applaud Craft and Question the Story

A24 positions the film as a pop-driven auteur event.

Overview

  • David Lowery’s A24 drama, which began limited U.S. release Friday, expands nationwide April 24 and arrives with a companion album of original songs.
  • Anne Hathaway plays a pop icon who seeks a comeback dress from Michaela Coel’s estranged designer at a rural workshop that becomes the stage for their reckoning.
  • Coverage notes a blend of concert-scale spectacle and spooky undertones, a centerpiece silent dance choreographed by Dani Vitale, and new songs by Jack Antonoff, Charli XCX, and FKA twigs, who also appears on screen.
  • Reviews widely praise the lead performances, music, costumes, and production design, while many say the narrative feels opaque, overreaching, or pretentious.
  • Set features detail that the central barn was filmed inside a centuries-old structure at Germany’s Burg Adendorf, and cast and crew recall eerie on-set moments like strange light and an uncanny energy.