Hail Mary
Jean-Luc Godard’s formally audacious modern Nativity reframes pregnancy, faith, sexuality, and womanhood through elemental imagery and philosophical parallel stories.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Dense
- Violence
- None
- austere
- philosophical
- provocative
- arthouse film night
- religious cinema discussion
What critics said
Critics broadly recognized the film as a visually beautiful and intellectually serious but highly provocative religious reimagining, with its experimental form dividing audiences.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Mary is a student and petrol-station worker, Joseph drives a cab, and the Virgin birth is treated as a present-day event.
Meditations are punctuated by images of the sun, moon, clouds, flowers, and water.
Mary, Joseph, Gabriel, and the parallel couple engage with the demands of belief and the possibility of nonsexual friendship.
Godard intercuts Mary's pregnancy with Eva and her nameless lover's adulterous, philosophical affair.
Films like Hail Mary, and why
The Last Temptation of Christ
shared radical reinterpretation of Christian iconography, austere symbolism, and challenging arthouse drama
The Sacrifice
shared philosophical treatment of faith, sexuality, and religious imagery through formally ambitious European drama
The Tree of Life
shared modernist spiritual inquiry, elemental imagery, and contemplative visual composition
The Color of Pomegranates
shared provocative reworking of sacred narratives through surreal, intellectually confrontational cinema
Movie Details
- Director
- Jean-Luc Godard
- Release Date
- 1985-01-23
- Runtime
- 72 min
- Rating
- 6.2 / 10 (96)
Cast
- Myriem Roussel
- Thierry Rode
- Philippe Lacoste
- Manon Andersen
- Malachi Jara Kohan
- Juliette Binoche
- Georges Staquet
- Anne Gautier
- Johan Leysen
- Gisele Musy
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Cohen Media Amazon Channel
- Rent
- Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Hail Mary about?
- Jean-Luc Godard’s formally audacious modern Nativity reframes pregnancy, faith, sexuality, and womanhood through elemental imagery and philosophical parallel stories.
- What is Hail Mary like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Hail Mary as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as dense.
- Is Hail Mary violent?
- No — Ember's analysis finds no violence in Hail Mary.
- What did critics think of Hail Mary?
- Critics broadly recognized the film as a visually beautiful and intellectually serious but highly provocative religious reimagining, with its experimental form dividing audiences.
- Which films are like Hail Mary?
- Films with a similar feel include The Last Temptation of Christ, The Sacrifice, The Tree of Life, and The Color of Pomegranates.
- How long is Hail Mary?
- Hail Mary runs 72 minutes.
- Where can I watch Hail Mary?
- In United States, Hail Mary streams on Cohen Media Amazon Channel.
