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This review was originally published on September 2, 2023.
On January 23, 2024,Maestrowasnominated for seven Oscars, including Best Picture.
And she deserves it.
Its a reactive performance, and Mulligan plays it with a heartbreaking universality.
Yes, shes doing an accent and a part, much like Cooper is.
But we connect with her in ways that we dont with him.
Maybe thats the problem.
There are almost no unguarded, intimate moments.
Or rather, there are no unguarded, intimate moments that dont feel like guarded, public moments.
Maestrosomehow proves that Cooper is a director of genuine vision, even though its not a particularly successful movie.
Maestrois not a particularly long or dense picture.
Cooper has reportedly bristled at descriptions of it as a biopic, and its not hard to see why.
Felicia seems to understand Lenny even better than he understands himself.
(I know exactly who you are, she says early on.
Lets give it a whirl.)
He certainly loves her, and theres fine chemistry between Cooper and Mulligan.
But it remains a glimpse.
IfMaestroremains frustratingly unresolved, maybe thats because it has to be.
