David Lowery traces how a personal creative crisis became the blueprint for his most intricate film yet. While wrapping up prep on other projects in Ireland, the director mapped out a two-hander centered on a pop icon and the designer who helps define her persona.
The idea grew from a conversation he was having with himself—a story about a star who longs to return to her roots and seeks out the collaborator who helped launch her career. Anne Hathaway plays Mother Mary, the pop star at the center, while Michaela Coel portrays Sam Anselm, her former confidante and fashion designer. The result blends intimate dialogue with a concert fantasia, merging character drama with stagecraft.
Lowery describes a shift away from sprawling shoots toward the intimate energy of a project like Pioneer, a two-actor piece shot in a single room. Mother Mary emerged from that impulse, yet quickly expanded into a hybrid of talks, movement, and fantasy as the space bends time and perception.
In parallel with the script, the film’s songs were shaped with Charli XCX and Jack Antonoff, while Hathaway contributed to the movement, staging, and vocal work—years of hands-on collaboration that helped realize the fully realized pop icon at the story’s heart.
To realize the idea of a pop show on a compact, character-driven footprint, the shoot was split in two halves to give room for rehearsals and the construction of concert moments. Lowery jokes that even when a project seems small, his creative instincts push toward something bigger once the story reveals itself.
Central to the film is a ghostly thread—a red fabric apparition that appears and transforms the narrative, turning the debate between two people into something supernatural. The barn and studio where their conversations unfold become a portal across time and dimensions of their artistry, rather than a fixed set piece.
The release is slated for April 17, 2026. For a fuller discussion, listen to the Filmmaker Toolkit episode with Lowery on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your preferred platform, and watch the interview at the top of IndieWire’s page.
Source: Original article
