Do you ever have a movie that surprises you? You go in with a set of expectations, and it just blows your sox off? That’s the experience I had with Mother Mary.

It comes from writer/director David Lowery, with whom I have an interesting history. I’ve long appreciated the craft he brings to projects like The Green Knight. They are wildly creative but haven’t resonated with me. I expected Mother Mary would be the same. I was wrong.

The film focuses on a huge pop star, Mother Mary (Anne Hathaway), who is going through a bit of a crisis as she’s set for a major performance. So, she flees her team and heads to London to connect with Sam (Michaela Coel), a talented designer who created her initial look. The pair were very close, but thanks to a falling out haven’t seen each other in some time.

But Mother Mary heads to Sam under the guise of seeking a new dress. But it’s really a chance for the two to reconnect and make amends. While going through the creative process, they discuss their life, their falling out, and what’s happened to them since.

It turns out they might have a new, supernatural connection, that requires them coming together to overcome if they’re going to move forward.

This is billed as a different kind of ghost story, and it certainly is that in the back half of the film. In the middle of the second act, we get a switch that carries through to the conclusion. But that’s just part of what makes this such a fascinating and gripping cinematic experience.

Lowery is an excellent visual storyteller. He applies that talent to this film in many way, with it offering some incredibly unique visuals and styles all in the same production. It has some epic concert sequences that rival anything in a top-end musical biopic. It has some unique, metaphysical sets that take you into a complex world of the mind. And, for much of it, Mother Mary feels like an intimate two-hander that could have been done on a theatrical stage. It’s a gift to move between these set ups seamlessly, and this film pulls it off.

The costumes and the visuals are stunning. The choreography and the epic music sequences, needed to sell the persona of Mother Mary, are exquisite. The music comes from Charli XCX and Jack Antonoff, with some production from FKA Twiggs, who provides a unique supporting role on screen in the film, too. The songs suck you in and hold your attention, filling in the space. And the dialogue is crisp, while the script moves at a good pace.

Finally, the film sings because of the work of the leads. Hathaway is devastating in the more intimate emotional moments yet carries off these elaborate stage productions in an incredible fashion. Coel, meanwhile, is captivating whenever she’s on screen. You can’t look away as she commands the screen, and it’s magic when these two play off each other.

I loved Mother Mary. I was taken with the look and the craft, which is among the best in any film I’ve seen this year and hooked by the story and performances. It’s a film that’s worth seeing on the big screen to be enveloped in this masterful production.

Mother Mary is now playing nationwide.

Matthew Fox is a graduate of the Radio, Television and Film program at Biola University, and a giant nerd. He spends his free time watching movies, TV, and obsessing about football. He is a member of the FSWA. You can find him @knighthawk7734 on Twitter and as co-host of the Fantasy Football Roundtable Podcast.