The Reel Review
Past grudges resurface when a pop music superstar reunites with her estranged best friend and former costume designer on the eve of her big comeback performance. Anne Hathaway and Michaela Coel star in this psychological thriller that explores themes of art, fame and complicated relationships.
Just as he did in 2021’s The Green Knight, writer/director David Lowery again swings for the fences in this visually compelling but wildly unfocused fever dream of a film that feels more like Phantom Thread meets Black Swan, only nowhere near as good as either. His threadbare screenplay often misses whatever metaphorical point he had intended to make.
Emmy winner Michaela Coel (I May Destroy You), however, is absolutely mesmerizing as the costume designer angry at being abandoned and not given credit for the look that made Mother Mary an icon, with Oscar-winner Hathaway (Les Miserables) convincing enough as the titular superstar belting out boppy tunes from Charli XCX and FKA Twigs. But the pretentious film and its icky body horror and supernatural, red floating fabric is just too weird and exhausting to be entertaining. The song below, however, is excellent.
REEL FACTS
• Michaela Coel worked on the story with David Lowery before being cast in the film.
• Writer/director David Lowery wrote the part of Hilda with Hunter Schafer in mind after his wife worked with Schaefer on Euphoria.
• FKA Twigs, who also appears in the film as the psychic medium, wrote the song “My Mouth is Lonely for You.”
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