Anne Hathaway is no stranger to a makeover. Think The Princess Diaries, The Devil Wears Prada, The Witches, Havoc — the list goes on. Whether it’s her character transforming from the “ugly duckling” to a refined young lady and fashionista, or Hathaway herself in the makeup chair for hours on end to achieve the perfect pointy teeth, the point is, her transformations always leave us stunned. But this next one is something else. A24’s upcoming film, Mother Mary, written and directed by David Lowery and slated to be released in Spring 2026, sees Hathaway’s character, a pop star by the name of Mother Mary, broken down and rebuilt in a psychological thriller alongside her ex-friend and costume designer Sam Anselm, played by the brilliant Michaela Coel.
Mother Mary follows Lowery’s pattern of, well, let’s just say it, weird films in his repertoire. Aside from Hathaway and Coel, Hunter Schafer, Kaia Gerber, Jessica Brown Findlay, Sian Clifford, and FKA Twigs grace the screen. The film score, with songs from Twigs along with Charli xcx and Jack Antonoff, transports you onto the stage and magnifies the already vigorous choreography.
The trailer opens with Hathaway in an elaborate dress and headpiece on stage. It cuts to the back of her bleached head hopping on a private jet. She arrives at a drenched, old English mansion to ask for help from Sam to make her a new dress. Her less-than-lavish look, however, makes us think she’s searching for something else. At first, the trailer is soft, emotional, paving the way for a film about self-discovery. As the music swells and fabric rips, the tone changes to one of mystery, as though we don’t know what lurks in the shadows of the barn in which the movie takes place. Red fabric moves across the screen like blood dripping off the table.
As a match lights up Coel’s face, her expression changes from understanding old friend to that of a vengeful, wronged woman. A smirk paired with widened piercing eyes cements the shift in tone. As Sam caresses Mary’s face, tears stream down her cheek — whether they are tears of relief or fright, we don’t quite know yet. Each thread sewn by Sam is like another stitch in rebuilding Mary’s sense of self.
One might mistake Hathaway or Coel for the main characters, but the dress is really the star of the film, escaping from Mary’s chest in an exorcism, chasing her through the house, sinister and reassuring at the same time. The film traverses a slightly paranormal world to touch on themes such as betrayal, rebirth, stardom, and deceit — and that’s just in the trailer.
