Mother Mary: Movie Review

I'm not someone who is opposed to more art-house or experimental movies. If anything, I welcome them with open arms. And for anyone familiar with A24 movies, you already know what you're getting into from the very beginning: usually something that isn't necessarily made for the general public to easily stomach. That's why, I was genuinely very excited to finally sit down and watch this one.

Sadly, though, I just couldn't get behind this movie.

As the saying goes, if you have nothing nice to say, don't say anything at all. So I think it's only right to start by talking about the positives of this movie first.

First of all, it's a beauty to look at.

Film is a visual medium first and foremost, and this movie does a great job at putting an absolute spectacle on screen. The production design, the costume design, as well as the general cinematography are all incredibly beautiful. The two main character's professions lend themselves very well to a very visual story: Anne Hathaway plays an iconic pop star who gets to perform her shows in elaborate, intricate costumes, and Michaela Coel plays a costume designer.

Second of all, it has a great cast.

Really and trully, you could put Anne Hathaway and Michaela Coel together in any movie and I would most likely watch it just for them. Anne Hathaway is already having an incredible year, this being one of her five cinema releases in 2026, and Michaela Coel is finally starting to do more big screen productions, after dominating TV in the early 2020s with Bubble Gum and I May Destroy You. Amongst them, we also have the fan-favourite Hunter Schafer, and an unexpected appearance from FKA Twigs. On paper, it's a great all-women cast and one that I was very excited to watch.

Which leads me quite nicely into talking about one of the first things that dissappointed me about this movie.

The cast, albeit excellent, feels underutilised. Hatthaway and Coel get to shine the most (which is unsurprising as they are the main characters), but even then, it's mostly Anne Hathaway that's given the bulk of the material to work with. Michaela Coel is still great in her role, but I couldn't shake the feeling that there was much more she could've showcased in this role in terms of her acting range, and she just wasn't given the opportunity to do so. The worst offence, however, is Hunter Schafer. She's barely in the film and when she is, she has almost no speaking lines. While she's not as famous or established as the two lead actresses, Hunter Schafer has been in the industry for several years now and has built enough of a profile that seeing her name in the credits naturally leads you to expect a significant role from her. Instead, her presence is surprisingly limited, and I can't help but feel that her casting was a missed opportunity.

Another issue I had with Mother Mary was that I felt like it didn't know what it wanted to be. The film explores elements from about four or five different genres, but none fully-fledged enough to be able to really stick the landing. Is it a psychological drama? Is it a thriller? Is it a costume drama? Is it a musical thriller? You can't really tell.

And lastly, and maybe the worst thing I can say about a movie: it was just a bit boring. The story sounds like something that should have been far more entertaining to watch, but I found myself checking my phone quite often throughout it. It also felt much longer than its actual runtime, which is never a good sign.

Should you skip this movie? Absolutely not. Taste (and art) is subjective and I've seen a lot of people really connect with this movie. It unfortunately just didn't work for me, and that's fine.