Maestro (2023) movie review

Maestro is based on the life of Leonard Bernstein, a legendary American conductor and composer but surprisingly focused on his romantic relationships. It is only Bradley Cooper’s second directorial feature, but it is a spectacle that elevates the art of cinema! It must be watched by every mature movie-lover. 

The year 2023 has been great for original cinema and individual artists. But most of these great movies have been punishingly long as a viewer such as Oppenheimer, Killers of the Flower Moon and even Barbie. Maestro comes with the added benefit of being comparatively shorter at 2 hours and 9 minutes.

We see Bradley Cooper as an older Leonard Bernstein, as the movie starts, with a large nose and silver hair. The makeup here is unbelievably good as his face looks so convincingly real despite us knowing what Bradley Cooper really looks like. The work is confidently displayed in a tight closeup almost daring you to find a flaw. The movie then flashes back to Bernstein’s younger days, working as an assistant conductor for the New York Philharmonic, specifically, to the day when he first got the big break to conduct because the original conductor was ill. This is the time when he is shot to fame as an artist and receives recognition when he is trying to find himself. He is in a relationship with David Oppenheim (played empathetically by Matt Bomer) when he meets his future wife, Felicia Montealegre (played by Carey Mulligan).

These flashbacks are filmed in stark black and white with multiple scenes with strong lights flaring back at the camera. It gives those scenes an ethereal quality akin to how one often fondly remembers their past. The cinematography in the colour scenes is no less exquisite. The Bernsteins are elegant, intellectual people with class and style oozing out of everything they wear and are surrounded by. The movie is shot in Bernstein’s original home which is worthy of being displayed on the pages of Architectural Digest. Matthew Libatique, an established cinematographer known for his collaborations with Darren Aronofsky may have done his best work to date in this film. The production design and costumes are equally commendable. Technically, these aspects are on par with the makeup in the movie.

Bernstein and Felicia cannot be happier when they decide to get married. Their relationship is shown to be filled with playfulness and laughter. Bernstein, an extremely ambitious man in his career, was not someone who stayed within the confines of traditional marital vows. It is interesting to see the portrait of a marriage where the partners are polished and cultured; but with similar problems and arguments as most married couples. The story lacks novelty but makes up for its richness of character and acting performances.

And what mighty performances these are! Bradley Cooper has done in this movie what can only be called a complete transformation. If I was a working actor, I’d quit after watching his work in this movie. Carey Mulligan as Felicia is no less magnificent. She has the responsibility of being the emotional core of the movie. Where Cooper’s performance is external, Mulligan’s takes you deep within the heart of her character. And also within yourself. There’s a lengthy scene at a restaurant, a monologue by Mulligan that chronicles her character’s emotions which is a specimen of brilliant acting. This scene is followed by Cooper conducting a grand musical piece with a large orchestra which is out of this world! 

Maestro may be a love story in its truest form. It’s hard to explain what brings two people in love together; and even harder what keeps them together. It is undoubtedly one of the best movies of the year.