Director David Lowery, while creating the character of a fictional pop star for the film Mother Mary, immersed himself in the music of the last 25 years.
He listened to artists like Taylor Swift, Lorde and FKA twigs, who plays Imogene in the film. But as the story unfolded – a tumultuous relationship between Mary and her former friend – his musical inspiration took a different direction, towards the more emotional sounds of artists like James Blake.
The film is built on two contrasting worlds: one intimate and fragile, where Mary (Anne Hathaway) appears broken and human; the other grand, where she is a pop diva with an almost divine presence on stage. It was this clash that required Hathaway to first penetrate the most sensitive side of the character, even though she initially had no clear idea of the sound of the songs.
The film's music, composed primarily by Charli XCX and Jack Antonoff, has been highly praised by critics. A special contribution comes from FKA twigs with the song My Mouth Is Lonely for You, a sensual creation that was not originally intended for this project, but which later found its rightful place in it.
Although the songs are composed by different artists, the soundtrack paints a clear portrait of a 21st-century pop star: big enough for stadiums, but also unique enough to have a cult following. This description is not far from the reality of the artists who contributed to the project themselves.
For Hathaway, the recording process was a new experience. Although she had experience with the music from the film Les Misérables, working on this project required a deeper approach – not just in vocals, but also in sound construction. She was inspired by Tori Amos’s album Little Earthquakes, seeking a more complex layering of sound and emotion.
One of the key discoveries for him was that the feeling conveyed by a text is more important than the words themselves. The performance, the way a word sounds, can carry more weight than its literal meaning.
There is also an invisible but powerful element in the background of the story: Mother Mary's fans. Although they are not directly visible, their presence is felt at every moment. According to Hathaway, these fans are people who are looking for a sense of belonging and security - a kind of "ecstasy" where they can be themselves without fear.
In the end, Mother Mary is not just a pop star. She is a figure who carries great expectations and personal sacrifices, trying not to break the image that millions of people have built around her. /GazetaExpress/
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