With a title like Maestro, one might naturally expect a music biopic of one of the world’s most influential conductors of the 20th century. Given it’s one of my most anticipated films of the year, I knew going in that writer/director Bradley Cooper intended to chronicle the complex relationship between Leonard Bernstein and his wife, Costa Rica-born actress Felicia Montealegre Cohn, while still highlighting Bernstein’s astounding musical gifts.

While I’m generally predisposed to like most movies I see, I have to say there are some I’m predisposed to love for one reason or another. Maestro could be one of them… I remember waiting with anticipation for the film to start during the small press screening. The dramatic montage early in the film features God’s POV, an extreme high-angle shot where young Bernstein (called Lenny by his friends) runs through a long, dark hallway and suddenly shows up in Carnegie Hall for his conducting debut in 1943 with the New York Philharmonic. It’s a magical sequence that makes you go ‘wow’… and I knew I was in for something truly special.

That first montage also gives us a glimpse of Lenny’s bisexuality, shown in bed with his lover, clarinetist David Oppenheim (Matt Bomer) when he gets the call to sub for a Carnegie Hall guest conductor at the last minute, without any rehearsal. The film then jumps a few years later to a party where Lenny meets Felicia (Carey Mulligan) and they are immediately smitten with each other. The depiction of their courtship, set on a theater stage where they rehearse a play, is sprightly and romantic, boosted by Cooper and Mulligan’s sweet and playful chemistry together.

Cooper incorporates a theater segment approach to illustrate their romance, with a musical number that serves as a relationship metaphor when they break their engagement and Felicia’s involvement with another man before their eventual marriage. As a fan of live theater, I highly enjoy this well-choreographed scene and it fits well with the tone and themes of the story.

I appreciate the fact that Maestro is as much a tribute to Felicia as it is to the title character and how their complex romance is integral to Lenny’s life. It’s not a surprise to anyone with even a basic knowledge of his life that Lenny’s had affairs with both men and women his entire life. It’s hinted that Felicia was aware of his sexual attraction to men even when they were courting, but their love for each other was also real and undeniable. That’s not to say that it wasn’t a struggle for Felicia… you could feel her pain as she watched Lenny kiss a young man at a party.

The strength of Maestro is definitely in the powerhouse performances of the two leads. Mulligan deservedly gets top billing as this is as much Felicia’s story as it is Lenny’s. I was mesmerized by Mulligan right from the moment she entered the screen–Felicia is sweet and beguiling but also formidable. Mulligan’s mannerism, even her speaking voice with a New York accent is so convincing it’s as if I was watching a classic actress from that era. She’s equally magnetic even in her latter years when she became frail from her aggressive breast cancer. There’s a tender moment where she cradles her oldest daughter Jamie (Maya Hawke) in bed that’s so heart-wrenching.

The chemistry between Mulligan and Cooper is enthralling, making the witty repartee come alive, especially during their happier times. I read that Cooper made a significant change to Josh Singer‘s script to highlight Lenny and Felicia’s marriage instead of one that focused on Lenny, which gives the film a more layered dimension. I think it’s prudent on Cooper’s part to use Bernstein’s own music instead of having an original score. His music accompanies his life journey throughout the movie… from his ballets, i.e. Fancy Free, to his most famous Broadway score for West Side Story and symphonies such as Chichester Psalms.

Maestro is as much a triumph musically as it is visually. Matthew Libatique’s cinematography is simply masterful, there are many times I was in such awe at the beautiful camerawork. Libatique plays with shadow and light wonderfully and some of the shots have that poetic feel to it. That zoom-in shot of Lenny and Felicia under a massive tree in Central Park is just breathtaking. I sure hope Libatique gets another Oscar nomination in his second collaboration with Cooper after A Star Is Born.

Speaking of highlights, I have to mention the six-minute sequence of Lenny conducting the London Symphony Orchestra at Ely Cathedral of Mahler’s Symphony No. 2. Apparently, Cooper trained with Canadian conductor Yannick Nézet-Séguin for six years to be able to conduct so voraciously the way Lenny did and it gave me goosebumps watching it. It’s really incredible how versatile Cooper can be as an actor, and I think this is his career-best yet. He really ‘disappears’ into the title role and it certainly helps that he looks the part, thanks to the stunning prosthetic work by Oscar-winning make-up artist Kazu Hiro.

Cooper is so passionate and so driven by his love for the subject matter and it shows in his performance, but most notably his direction. He really ups his game as a filmmaker and he’s shown that he is an artist who not only accepts but revels in creative challenges. Now, not every beat lands perfectly, mind you, at times his performance seems, for lack of a better word, overly orchestrated. A scene where he screams into a pillow out of frustration during Felicia’s bout with cancer doesn’t quite have the emotional gravity one expects. The story between Lenny and David seems curiously sketchy, perhaps some of Bomer’s scenes end up on the cutting floor?

That said, this film is a towering achievement that’s done with utmost love and admiration for the late music virtuoso. I was fully immersed in the film, even the slower moments didn’t feel tedious. Netflix is banking on Maestro to be one of the frontrunners this award season, especially for directing and acting, specifically Mulligan. The competition is fierce in the Best Actor race, but there’s a chance Cooper could get a Best Actor nod as well. Regardless of award glory, Maestro is a brilliant work of art Cooper should definitely be proud of.

Have you seen MAESTRO? I’d love to hear what you think!

//