Mary (2005)

63% of critics liked it
(16 reviews)
44% of users liked it
(732 ratings)

Bad Lieutenant director Abel Ferrara takes the helm of this allegorical drama concerning an actress locked in the throes of a profound spiritual crisis, and the affect that it has on both the director of her latest film and a New York journalist. Marie Palesi (Juliette Binoche) is a major European… More Bad Lieutenant director Abel Ferrara takes the helm of this allegorical drama concerning an actress locked in the throes of a profound spiritual crisis, and the affect that it has on both the director of her latest film and a New York journalist. Marie Palesi (Juliette Binoche) is a major European screen star who has just finished shooting her latest film, a revisionist religious drama directed by maverick American film director Tony Childress (Matthew Modine). In the film, Palesi portrayed the character of Mary Magdalene not as a common prostitute, but a full-fledged disciple whose power struggle with Peter set the stage for centuries of controversy. But the role has had a greater impact on Palesi than anyone could have foreseen, and after the shoot wraps, she makes the decision to remain in the Middle East and make a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. A year later, New York investigative journalist Ted Younger (Forest Whitaker) is producing a week-long network series examining the historical facts about Jesus Christ. After attending a screening for Childress' film, Younger contacts the director about the possibility of interviewing both himself and Palesi for the project. Unfortunately for Younger, Palesi has disappeared and Younger has no idea how to track her down. But while married journalist Younger is currently having an affair with an actress (Marion Cotillard) who just happens to know Palesi's number in Jerusalem, convincing the elusive starlet to appear on his special will pose a whole new set of challenges. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 26 min.
Directed By: Abel Ferrara
Written By: Abel Ferrara, Mario Isabella
Genres: Drama, Art House & International, Mystery & Suspense

In Theaters: Oct 17, 2008 Limited
Studio: IFC First Take

Critic Reviews

V.A. Musetto, New York Post
Mary is a mess. An inter esting one, yet still a mess.
Stephen Holden, New York Times
Mary is a convoluted, hysterical mess of a movie with grandiose spiritual airs and not a drop of humor.
J. Hoberman, Village Voice
Tightly framed and tightly wound, Mary is a claustrophobic, incandescent, nutty 83 minutes with everyone in the cast teetering on the ledge of madness.
Leslie Felperin, Variety
A sincere grapple with faith and redemption in cynical times.
Ray Bennett, Hollywood Reporter
Murky and forgettable.
Fernando F. Croce, CinePassion
Stylistically sophisticated and emotionally visceral
Matthew Nestel, Boxoffice Magazine
Many Ferrara faithful fetching for something uncanny will line up and get what they bargained for.
Jon Frosch, Film Journal International
Cult director Abel Ferrara bites off more than he can chew with this murky, unfocused exploration of religion and faith in the age of media madness.
Eric Henderson, Slant Magazine
A triune plot that Ferrara digs into with sleeves fully rolled up.
Joshua Rothkopf, Time Out New York
It feels like the kind of snoozy artistic modulation that critics often confuse for maturation.
Robert Davis, Paste Magazine
Very little of this mess works in any conventional sense, but as the performances begin to redline, the movie examines the relationship between performance and contrition.
Josh Bell, Las Vegas Weekly
Ferrara presents his ideas in what's meant to be a meditation on the nature of faith but ends up an incoherent, pretentious mess.
Michael Ferraro, Film Threat
...both Forest Whitaker and Juliette Binoche (as with the rest of the cast) give such amazing performances that they should be added to the list of the best work of their careers.
Chris Cabin, Filmcritic.com
Somehow turns confusion into a concise study on what it means to believe in god in this day and age.
Jeremy Heilman, MovieMartyr.com
A serious-minded film about the confusion and anxiety that mark a true inquisition into one's faith.

Read all 15 critic reviews

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Featured Audience Ratings

Walter M

"Mary" starts with the wrapping up of a film shoot about the life of Jesus, starring, written and directed by Tony Childress(Matthew Modine). Instead of returning to New York, Marie(Juliette Binoche), his leading lady as Mary Magdalene, flips out and decides to go to… More
"Mary" starts with the wrapping up of a film shoot about the life of Jesus, starring, written and directed by Tony Childress(Matthew Modine). Instead of returning to New York, Marie(Juliette Binoche), his leading lady as Mary Magdalene, flips out and decides to go to Jerusalem. Director Abel Ferrara picks up the story a year later with the imminent and controversial release of the movie but instead of focusing on Tony or Marie, Ted(Forest Whitaker), a television personality, takes center stage by interviewing experts on Jesus, allowing them to simultaneously pontificate and drag the movie down. As Ted's ratings somehow go up, his personal life is falling apart as he argues with his very pregnant wife Elizabeth(Heather Graham), probably because unbeknowst to her, he is having an affair with Gretchen(Marion Cotillard), his producer, who he also ends up betraying. All this proves is that Forest Whitaker can give an excellent performance even when playing a walking cliche. Now there is more than enough in the above to provide a very astute commentary on religion and spirituality(which "Jesus in Montreal" did so very well), but Ferrara never pulls it together into a single coherent thought. Is it supposed to be about how only a spiritual man can make a thoughtful movie about Jesus(which Pasolini disproved anyway) or how much religious violence there is in the world today? Tony is too much a jackass to get a clear sense of what he is thinking(if anything) while Marie simply remains a cipher during her brief time on screen. At least with "Bad Lieutenant," I could see what Ferrara was thinking, even if he was daft enough to put the Mets in god's divine plan. Trust me, it would not work as well with the Yankees...
Daisy M

This film is far ambitious in its range than it is in delivering its message. Despite the cast, there was nothing spiritual in either the characters or the performances,maybe Forest Whittaker's scene of remorse in church towards the end, which was unconvincing. Juliette Binoche… More
This film is far ambitious in its range than it is in delivering its message. Despite the cast, there was nothing spiritual in either the characters or the performances,maybe Forest Whittaker's scene of remorse in church towards the end, which was unconvincing. Juliette Binoche was poor in her portrayal of Mary Magdalene, delivering a confused, hysterical portrait of a woman, who is known to be an extraordinary person and the film's central issue. The character played by Matthew Modine was the most convincing in his cynical pride, and this fact said something about the spirit which guides the whole film. Was hard to understand why this film was made, what was it really trying to say? Why actors like Juliette Binoche and the Oscar winner Forest Whitaker got involved with it? They act well, but it's wasted talent. If you are a fan of Bible inspired films you will like this, otherwise there is no good reason to spend the time seeing it.
Christopher B

Good Ferrara film that is very interesting, even if I didn't quite "get it". Once again Ferrara tackles my favourite theme in his films, religion vs faith. Modine plays an obvious Mel Gibson clone who is passionate about Christ, but very self serving. Whitaker is a… More
Good Ferrara film that is very interesting, even if I didn't quite "get it". Once again Ferrara tackles my favourite theme in his films, religion vs faith. Modine plays an obvious Mel Gibson clone who is passionate about Christ, but very self serving. Whitaker is a man who discovers faith and Binoche is an actress who goes crazy. Crazy with Mary Magdelene! Kind of surprised this hasn't gotten a North American release, at least DTV, I mean it's Ferrara! C'mon!