I’m not sure where to begin. “Annette,” in theaters today and streaming Aug. 20 on Amazon Prime, is bizarre, dark, amusing (sometimes for the wrong reasons), artsy, ambitious and dramatic; yet, I could go on and on. At times clear in its intent, it is most often blurry and surreal. It is my contention that the director intended it to be all these things and more.

That director, Leos Carax, is best known for the wonderful 2012 fantasy “Holy Motors.” “Annette,” Carax’s first musical endeavor, is a rock opera that may bring to mind others of the past few decades – especially the weird Ken Russell adaptation of The Who’s “Tommy.” Indeed, at times I felt as though I might be at a midnight showing of a cult film, which I’m thinking is a place “Annette” will wind up. It just has so much delightful strangeness.

Carax collaborated with Ron and Russell Mael of the pop-art duo Sparks on music for the film. The brothers provided the rock opera soundtrack with heavy emphasis on the opera portion. The music is interesting, grating at times, and odd.

“Annette” tells the story of Henry McHenry (Adam Driver), a Howard Stern-esque comedian who has become famous for his off-putting, ferocious and provocative live act. For whatever reason, his audience of followers enjoys his large, bullying persona. In contrast, Henry’s wife Ann Defransnoux (Marion Cotillard) is America’s sweetheart who trills to packed out opera-going audiences and is best known for her dramatic death scenes. The story of their courtship, early married life, career highs and lows, parenthood, and the struggles of being married to a celebrity are chronicled, mostly in song.

One of the strangest aspects of the movie is the couple’s daughter and the film’s namesake. In order for you to experience the movie as you should (if you must), I will not reveal the most obvious reason this child is “different.” Plenty of deep thinkers and people who are aficionados of these types of films might explain that the way the child is portrayed is simply metaphorical; an explanation of how the narcissistic Henry sees his daughter. I’m not sure mainstream audiences will want to think that hard. And maybe those involved with the film couldn’t care less.

As the film progresses, the story, mood and music become darker. Henry’s star begins to dim as Ann’s brightens. Shades of “A Star is Born” and “La La Land” can be detected here and may add a little normalcy, but probably not. After the somber turn in the story and music, some scenes seem to lag and lack some of the punch that may have caused us to keep watching. Even then, one wonders if audiences will keep watching due to being curious, intrigued, or simply because they are patient and waiting for things to make sense. Some will be in awe of the sheer scope of the movie.

Driver and Cotillard are brilliant actors. Driver, with his 6-foot-2 frame, massive build and imposing nature, portrays Henry as unlikable and self-centered and does nothing to gain sympathy from the audience, which I admire. His performance is nothing short of electrifying, but that might not be enough to carry this film. Cotillard is beautiful and once again shows us why she’s a Best Actress Oscar winner. Yet, in this film, she is underused and seems to be looking on as Driver devours everything.

There are some fun moments in the film.The fugue in the hospital during the delivery of Annette is fantastic. Simon Helberg (“Big Bang Theory”) as Ann’s lovesick accompanist is always good.  

“Annette” simply has too much to offer and can be overwhelming at times. The nods to the disgusting tabloid coverage of celebrity and the pressures of being in the public eye are familiar themes, but I think audiences will end up feeling hornswoggled into watching an arthouse experience of sorts. There isn’t much (if any) payoff after having invested a staggering two hours and 20 minutes in this film.

At times, it’s hard to figure out what is real and what is not. In addition to Ann munching on apples constantly and audiences never having a clear idea why (maybe she just likes apples?), the audience is given so much to notice and think about that we become exhausted. The surrealism, the way the film tries to be visually appealing, and frequent inscrutability add to the fact this film lacks what audiences are mostly looking for: emotion.

Let’s face it: you either like films like this or you don’t. It’s hard to even say you like parts of it. Those who do like the film won’t understand why it’s not received well by audiences, and vice versa. 

“Annette” is esoteric. Plain and simple. 

My grade for this film is a C-, but with extra credit going to Driver and the undeniable ambition of the director and the Mael brothers. Take a look at it when it streams on Amazon Prime in two weeks, if you’re at all curious. If you don’t like weird, don’t go there.

This movie is rated R for sexual content, nudity and language. Running time is 140 minutes.