I’m still waiting for those “words of wisdom,” movie. Not sure I’ll get them. Mother Mary is the first film of 2026 that went completely over my head. I’m sure it will not be the last. For now, however, I can only say that whatever I saw should have been better, given two fabulous leads and a willingness to make whatever work. I’m not sure the screenplay was right for the audience … which is to say any audience.
Here’s what I saw:
There’s a pop diva making a comeback fresh of injury and suicide rumors. She goes by Mother Mary (Anne Hathaway). Think “Madonna.” This is clearly a play on Christian pop empowerment. Mother Mary’s catch is she always wears a halo on stage to go with her professional onesie. The Christian symbolism is heavy in this film as if you couldn’t already guess by songs entitled “Holy Spirit” and “Holy Spirit 2 (Electric Boogaloo).”
Mother Mary is in crisis. Clearly lacking for support in her life, MM turns to a frenemy, Sam Anselm. What a coinicidence! I just celebrated an anniversary in Sam Anselm. High-end fashion designer Sam (Michaela Coel) and MM share a long history. They were very close once; this is obvious. Mother Mary wants Sam to make her a dress for her comeback performance. The plot line is about the construction of a dress suitable for a Madonna or Taylor Swift or, you know, anybody from that crowd, but there’s subtext a dozen layers deep below the ask. On the most basic level, Mother Mary is seeking comfort from someone she can trust.
There is both history and spite to overcome with this request. How would you let an ex-lover back into your life? And what would it take for them to do you a favor? And there’s a full hour of this back-and-forth emotional chess match. Which is fine, except it does get a little, “Are you gonna make the dress or what?!”
And then there’s a ghost story.
I kid you not. Mother Mary, a film about a diva asking her ultra-talented seamstress friend to make a designer dress on the spot, goes from fashion to horror in the blink of an eye.
And why?
That I have no idea.
Is it good horror?
Well, there’s blood and possession and a few scares, so … maybe?
But I cannot believe one attends a film about a diva reconciling with a spurned lover looking for a body count, do you? Or, I dunno, 
maybe you do; people are weird. I’m not gonna pretend otherwise. And this is a weird film, but I cannot say I was terribly impressed overall.
The performances in Mother Mary did impress me. I dunno where Michaela Coel came from, but I’ve seen her twice this week, and I already cannot get enough of her. Meanwhile, Anne Hathaway is acting her ass off in this film. And that assless acting is happening a film that is not going to see her in her best light, but does show her ass. The camera work involves closeups so extreme we will immediately notice Anne is in her forties; some of the scenes in the film include nudity, tattoos, self-mutilation, and an entire wardrobe of vulnerability … all while playing a Madonna-like above-it-all pop diva. It’s the kind of performance only your agent will talk about, but some of us noticed anyway.
A music diva called Mother Mary
Visited her ex, now adversary
She asked for a dress
Revealed her mess
And then the film chose, “let’s get scary”
Rated R, 112 Minutes
Director: David Lowery
Writer: David Lowery
Genre: Confusing ghost stories
Type of being most likely to enjoy this film: Ya gotta really love Anne Hathaway or really believe in Michaela Coel
Type of being least likely to enjoy this film: “Is this a musical, a bio, a drama, or a horror film?”
