Review of the film Maestro - Bradley Cooper and Carey Mulligan deliver a powerful performance as a dynamic duo in Bernstein's musical masterpiece.

Leonard Bernstein, a composer and conductor portrayed by Bradley Cooper, was a complex individual with conflicting traits. In Cooper’s second directorial effort, following A Star Is Born, he focuses on this perpetual internal battle within Bernstein’s psyche. With an increase in ambition and bravado, Cooper directs with the same fervor and showmanship as Bernstein at his most passionate and exuberant moments. While this style of filmmaking may be overwhelming and ostentatious for some, there is much to appreciate, including Carey Mulligan’s outstanding performance as Bernstein’s wife, Felicia Montealegre, and the emotionally stirring music that flows through the film.

Maestro, with its nonlinear structure, resembles a collection of life’s moments – from successful career milestones to intense conflicts at home. Cooper maintains a lively and dynamic energy throughout, capturing Bernstein’s restless nature in the storytelling. However, the focus of the film is on the conflicting sides of this multifaceted man, cleverly portrayed by Cooper through the use of black-and-white scenes versus vibrant, colorful ones; the compact aspect ratio in early scenes compared to the open possibilities in later life; and the framing that simultaneously places Leonard and Felicia in the same space yet highlights their vast differences.

Bernstein’s duality is most apparent in his sexuality. It is clear that he deeply cares for his wife, as shown in one of the first scenes of the film where he opens up about her passing during a TV interview. However, he also openly seeks romantic relationships with young men, including a significant and heartfelt connection with clarinettist David Oppenheim (Matt Bomer).

In other aspects, there is a discrepancy in his work persona, a clash between his role as a conductor – an extravagant performer, giving his all to his orchestra and audience, reveling in their admiration – and his more reserved side as a composer, secluded from the outside world. According to the film, Bernstein also experiences emotional extremes. At times, he is consumed by ecstatic joy and at others, by deep, crippling sadness. He is depicted as a naturally charismatic and outgoing public figure, yet also guarded in his personal life.

Felicia is caught in the midst of a tumultuous emotional battle. However, labeling her as simply a casualty of her husband’s inner conflicts would be inaccurate. As portrayed by Mulligan, Felicia is far from a passive figure; she plays an active role in the narrative, sharing the spotlight with Leonard. Despite this, she is not unaffected by their tumultuous marriage, which endured for over 25 years.

A brief and poetic moment in the film showcases the intricate nature of the couple’s relationship. The husband and wife are portrayed together in a single frame, with the husband’s figure taking up most of the space as a large, dark silhouette. Meanwhile, the wife, dressed in a sparkling white cocktail dress, appears much smaller but radiates like a star in the center of the shot. This scene could be interpreted as the wife being overshadowed by her husband’s presence, but it could also suggest that she serves as a guiding light, steering him away from his destructive tendencies.

However, it could be argued that apart from himself, Leonard Bernstein’s greatest passion is music. Cooper’s editing technique, reminiscent of Olivier Dahan’s biopic La Vie en Rose about Édith Piaf, blurs the boundaries between Leonard’s personal life and his performances. In one scene, rehearsals for the ballet that inspired the film On the Town transform into a dreamlike sequence where Leonard and Felicia dance together. The most impactful use of music, however, is a stunningly long sequence where Bernstein conducts Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No 2 with an almost divine fervor. It’s as if he is divinely inspired. And when he catches a glimpse of Felicia, who has become distant from him, but is captivated by his passion, their differences fade away. For both of them, music is everything.