Behind the Scenes of “Mother Mary” with Director David Lowery
By Emily Nuñez
May 29, 2026
Photo by A24 Press Kit
So has Mother Mary. For years she lived in the fog, or better, existed parallel to life, only a shell of her former self.
At the beginnings of her career as a world-famous musician, Mother Mary (Anne Hathaway) was brimming with passion and doused in originality. With the help of her beloved fashion designer and intimate friend, Sam Anselm (Michaela Coel), the two created the persona of Mother Mary, a record-breaking and cover-making gothic electropop superstar. But when the momentum of fame swept Mother Mary far away from her closest companion, feelings of resentment, betrayal, yearning, and regret cloud the space between them — sensations so powerful that they materialize into an entity of their own: a ghost clinging to the lost connection.
Photo by A24 Press Kit
After being possessed for years by the draining spirit and increasingly dissociating from reality, Mother Mary at last revisits the source of her distress: Sam. The two communicate in a dialogue of dizzying poetry within the shadowy beams of Sam’s workshop — their charged words, glossy gazes, and carnal physicality revealing just how abyssal was their love.
The first-ever public advance screening of “Mother Mary” took place at Austin’s own Alamo Drafthouse, where the audience was joined by the visionary director David Lowery for a conversation on his latest project.
Lowery had the idea for the film in 2019 while on production for “The Green Knight” in Ireland. He had already been on a rapid streak of major releases — with “Pete’s Dragon” (2016), “A Ghost Story” (2017), and “The Old Man & the Gun” (2018) — and had just gotten hold of his next script: Disney’s “Peter Pan & Wendy.” In that moment of juggling projects, Lowery confesses that he had lost his sense of self.
“As you find clarity in one form, it can lead you down another dark tunnel. That is where this movie came from.”
Even when doing what we love, we still risk descent into disaffection from burnout. Lowery decided to write out his experience of estrangement in a dialogue, transforming the dark tunnel into his muse.
Photo by A24 Press Kit
After a swift casting process, Lowery surrendered the script to Hathaway and Coel to lend their female perspectives to his vision. After all, the cast is wholly feminine (with the exception of Lowery’s sneak cameo!). With his actresses’ feedback, Lowery discovered that the tale was even more emotional than he anticipated. The lack of male cast members is hardly noticeable upon first watch; the film’s celestial staging and choreography, cerebral interpersonality, and sirenic vocals all curate an experience of femininity, seamlessly taking us to an avant-garde reality headed for and by women.
“At first, in the dressing room scene, there was a mix of men and women. But it just killed the vibe when we had some dudes in there.”
The film is in a unique position on the spectrum of genres, combining elements of a mockumentary format with fictionalized live performance footage, alongside A24’s renowned psychological horror. Lowery was inspired in the direction of an atypical hybrid genre by an array of cinema, taking to Beyoncé's “Homecoming” documentary (2019) to visualize Mother Mary’s stages, while “Crimson Peak” (2015) and “The Woman in Red” (1984) served as reference points for the ghost figure.
“Our ghost had to be something new to not limit what it means. We created a ghost that doesn’t know what form to take. It would start as something disgusting and turn into something beautiful.”
The first appearance of the ghost looked to be a mound of bloodsoaked flesh mushed into the floorboards at the foot of Sam’s bed. Yet by the end of the film, it ascends into a lightweight, flowing entity, commanding awe in its piercing aura and patient, airy movements.
Daniel Wurtzel is a kinetic sculptor who creates living installations using brilliant fabrics and custom air tables. Fascinated by his work, Lowery invited Wurtzel to head the creative development of the ghost — one of the most critical visual elements of the film. Through countless experiments, a plethora of fabrics, and the expertise of a full practical-effect puppeteer team, Mother Mary and Sam’s ghost came to be. It is a symbol of alienated connection, whether it be with another, oneself, or one's craft. Like a soul that has passed on from its mortal body, where does the love go? It haunts us, like the ghosts of our beloved.
Photo by A24 Press Kit
During the live conversation with Lowery, one contributor’s wife spontaneously gifted him a piece of the ghost’s fabric used on set. The audience was delighted to be “joined by a cast member."
The ghost was in fact played by a real person later in the film: dancer Taylor Sieve. She was wired up with motion sensors to be digitally transformed into the most commanding version of the spirit, this time taking the form of a giant red disk who confronts Mother Mary mid-concert. Under the shared spotlight, only one would win. The longer Mother Mary avoided revisiting her abandoned relationship, the more unbearable her festering guilt became, till she came face-to-face with a haunted reckoning. Time may heal wounds, but they too can infect and only worsen day after day.
“The fabric was performing in its own way.”Each concert scene debuted another song off Mother Mary’s original soundtrack — composed by Charli XCX, Jack Antonoff, and FKA Twigs, and performed by Anne Hathaway. Musical production for the film was no mere side quest. From the start, Lowery had created playlists for the entire cast and crew so everyone could internalize the sounds he hoped to synthesize. The playlists included iconic pop stars like Madonna, Katy Perry, Lorde, and plenty of Taylor Swift. Lowery had attended The Eras Tour during production and felt moved by the intoxicating grandiosity of Swift’s show, a sensation recreated in the film. Yet the soundtrack was also inspired by unconventional musicians, such as St. Vincent, James Blake, Aldous Harding, Nine Inch Nails, and FKA Twigs herself, demonstrating the diversity intended for the album.
Lowery expresses that upon first recording, “the songs were good, but not record-breaking.” Even when he thought they were good enough, Hathaway wanted to repeatedly re-record till she “made them her own on a cellular level." She committed to mastering the technique behind Mother Mary throughout months of rigorous vocal and dance training, disciplined in her task to play an artist worthy of international fame. This creative process of practice, improvisation, experimentation, and perfection nurtured the complete soundtrack to life. Filming had begun with only two scripted songs, and the skilled music department continued to develop and mix the rest simultaneously with production.
Photo by A24 Press Kit
Lowery emphasizes that he is not a musician himself and was sheerly amazed witnessing the team’s “chemical magic show to conjure songs out of thin air." And not just any songs, but elegantly harmonized, memorable ones that feel synced with the cinematography and content of the film. For instance, in one climactic performance, Mother Mary rises far above the audience on a platform and then falls to her near-death. This scene was initially paired with the upbeat track “Holy Spirit," but the team “realized the song needed to have a certain shape,” something more atmospheric and alien. Just like that, they produced a new song entirely, using the original elsewhere in the movie.
Expert choreographer Dani Vitale evolved her direction in a similar manner. Though initially minimalistic, Vitale increasingly agitated the choreography throughout production as the character of the film and music escalated. The choreography, story, and soundtrack all informed and enhanced one another in real time, affirming just how deeply interlinked each level of the project is.
“The trick was timing the dialogue and the movement throughout the film.”
“Mother Mary” is the first film of its kind: Lowery and his team delivered a surrealist psychological thriller, a hit gothic pop-opera album, and, notably, a sober lesbian romance-drama in which queerness is but an implicit fact needless of explanation. Perhaps we are the first in our lineages to experience such a tasteful blend of genres, and it certainly is a treat — and touching reflection — of contemporary culture. ■
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