Texas Standard Texas Extra: Filmmaker David Lowery on Dallas, Anne Hathaway and the best Texas film
Apr 25, 2026
David Lowery, writer-director known for The Green Knight and A Ghost Story, discusses his new film Mother Mary and how North Texas shaped his fairy-tale sensibility. He talks casting choices like Anne Hathaway and Michaela Coel. Conversations touch on spirituality, surrealism, tactile visual style, and the push to make movies in Dallas again.
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How An Uncle’s Rentals Shaped A Filmmaker
- David Lowery watched Bram Stoker's Dracula for the first time at his uncle Brian Benzkooter's house, which profoundly influenced Mother Mary.
- He replayed the film three times while his relatives were at work, memorizing it through photos and books before seeing it on screen.
North Texas Gave His Films A Fairy Tale Tone
- David Lowery says North Texas shaped his films by giving them a fairy-tale quality rooted in winter's grimmer textures.
- He views that wintered Texas landscape as a recurring emotional backbone that makes many of his stories feel like region-specific fairy tales.
Using The Supernatural To Show Creativity
- Lowery frames Mother Mary as emotionally clear but resistant to neat explanation, using supernatural edges to express indescribable creative feelings.
- He says the film captures creativity itself: universally felt yet hard to verbalize, so surreal elements help convey that truth.