LeanneA Tobias

Maestro is a simultaneously loving and uneasy depiction of the marriage of acclaimed composer and conductor Leonard Bernstein and actress Felicia Montealegre. The marriage, cemented by Bernstein’s and Montealegre’s mutual passion for music and performance, is torn by Bernstein’s bisexuality, unthinking self-absorption and inability to be discreet about his numerous affairs. Maestro is distinguished by strong performances and superb cinematography. Bradley Cooper brilliantly embodies Bernstein, while Carey Mulligan delivers a controlled depiction of an intelligent and talented wife seeking to uphold her dignity in a faltering marriage. Maestro’s luminous black and white sequences, used to depict Bernstein and Montealegre as they fall in love, are marvel of the cinematographer’s art.