Maestro
Maestro (2023)
Starring: Bradley Cooper, Carey Mulligan, Matt Bomer
Direction by Bradley Cooper
Language: English
Tár and now Maestro? The Academy definitely has an obsession with composers. But hey, I’m not complaining - Tár was pretty good (if not at least a little difficult to understand). I’ve said it before, but one of my favourite movies to date has been West Side Story, and who else was behind the movie’s success but Leonard Bernstein? Maestro was not what I was expecting at all, and it surprised me in a very positive way.
Let’s start with Bradley Cooper. I am embarrassed to say that I don’t think I have seen a single movie where he stars. Not even Shallow! Anyways, after his performance in this movie I think his movies will be on my watchlist - wow! He was incredible. It’s difficult to explain, but he put his entire body into the character - and it came off in an incredibly poignant way. I often have a hard time trying to review acting - I feel like it’s a part of the job description for actors and actresses to fully embrace a character that is being played. But Cooper’s role felt different somehow - it felt more raw, less constrained. As a music student, I know what it’s like trying to compose and conduct - trust me. But the way Cooper was able to perfectly portray the process of dreaming up new music, and the way he was effectively able to display the flow of emotion associated with conducting was nothing short of spectacular. In my opinion, trying to imitate a musician may be one of the most challenging feats an actor can undertake, and Bradley Cooper did it. And he did it well.
The surprise about this movie was that it didn’t focus on the story of the Maestro, Leonard Bernstein, as much as I had expected it to. I would say that the main focus was arguably on Carey Mulligan’s character as Bernstein’s wife. She was also incredible - but in a very different, more Oscar-y way. Cooper, for most of the movie, played the role of a largely externally optimistic character, broken by short but very intense scenes showcasing his versatility. Mulligan played a positive character for only part of the movie, who soon transformed into character consumed by jealousy, desperation, and eventually sadness as she plays the role of a cancer patient. I absolutely loved her - she was the perfect antagonist to Cooper’s unbridled charm.
Moving onto Bradley Cooper’s direction: his transition between black and white and color was very interesting to note. It was almost as if the black and white was a romanticization of the past: a life without the colorful complexities that life is supposed to have. The fact that color returned to the screen when problems started to arise within the lives of the main characters was something I will let you decide how to interpret.
It was not only the performances of both main actors which made me connect with this movie, but there were two other factors which hugely impacted my viewing of the movie. As I mentioned earlier, I am a student of music: the interludes of both contemporary and classical orchestral music was captivating for me to watch. I must admit that when the prologue for West Side Story started to play, I almost yelped. The second factor was more personal - I have seen the consequences of marital troubles within my own family, and seeing these same consequences reflected on the screen, in a situation far different to mine, was something incredibly relatable to watch. It may not be the case for everyone, but that personal connection both with Bernstein’s music and the wider story of his character made this movie for me.
This is one of the first Oscar nominated movies I have seen. And let me just say that I am beyond impressed. I hope that the others will live up to the hype I’m seeing online. Time will tell, I guess.
