Direction: Bradley Cooper
Country: USA
Directed by and starring Bradley Cooper, Maestro is a well-crafted representation of the enduring marriage between iconic conductor and composer Leonard Bernstein and his actress wife Felicia Montealegre. The film avoids messiness in its timeline, presenting an honest and mature biopic that excels on all fronts.
The story, spanning 30 years, starts with a prologue where Bernstein is filmed and interviewed at home, but the story quickly winds back to his conducting debut with the New York Philharmonic at Carnegie Hall and his rapid rise to fame in 1943. Then, it focuses on the couple and how they changed over the years as he embraces the absolute freedom of the artist, sometimes recklessly. Despite betrayals and jealousy, their love proves to be resilient.
Cooper, who co-wrote with Josh Singer (Spotlight, 2015; First Man, 2018), not only delivers his best directorial work - I wasn’t particularly a fan of A Star is Born (2018) - but also his best performance, creating an extremely empathetic atmosphere that spans a wide range of emotions. Carey Mulligan’s earnest performance, the beauty of black-and-white and pastel-colored visuals by Darren Aronofsky’s regular cinematographer, Matthew Libatique, and the immaculate production, involving talents like Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg, contribute to the film's richness and tonal consistency. Maestro stands as a testament to Cooper's directorial and acting prowess.
