Director Pablo Larraín has finally delivered his final film in his informal trilogy documenting the tumultuous periods in the lives of famous women in the 20th century. Beginning with 2016’s Jackie and continuing with 2021’s Spencer, both of which garnered Oscar nominations for Natalie Portman and Kristen Stewart respectively, his latest taps Angelina Jolie for her chance to bring one of the world’s beloved women to life.
Maria follows famed opera singer Maria Callad (Jolie) from September 9th through September 16th 1977 during the final seven days of her life before her death in Paris as she reflects on her life and career and attempts to regain her ability to sing. The Maria Callas that we accompany during the film’s two hour runtime is one that is past both her professional and physical prime, having lost her legendary singing voice and the fame that accompanied it. Maria still holds onto the bit of reputation and pull that she has left as a semi-retired diva, but seeks to try to reclaim some of her lost abilities and glory before she leaves this worldly realm, while also trying to reconcile some of her past grief and trauma.
This characterization reminded me of a sadder version of legendary silver screen character Norma Desmond of the 1950 landmark film Sunset Boulevard, played brilliantly by former silent screen star Gloria Swanson. Like Desmond, Maria believes it is the world that has lost sight of what a landmark she is rather than her star having dimmed with time. Maria faces her mortality with a stern, but quiet resolve instead of Desmond’s unhinged delusion, making her a more sympathetic figure and the film itself a more empathetic watch. This is of course due to Jolie’s performance which is a strong one that captures Maria’s complexity in its entirety. Not only do we see her dealing with staring her old age in the face, but in the film’s flashback scenes, we see a more assured, determined side of Maria that made her into the icon she became. Jolie is able to portray both well. Her relationship its her housekeeper Bruna (Alba Rohrwacher) and butler Ferruccio (Pierfrancesco Favino) also provide a emotional component as we see them genuinely care for her in her final years and assist her with maintaining her dignity and her health. Favino and Rohrwacher display great chemistry with Jolie that makes their relationship believable.
Maria is an intimate portrait of a legendary figure coming to grips with the inevitability of time and navigating it as best she can. While a by-the-numbers biopic, Angelina Jolie’s performance is an interesting one to watch and her chemistry with Alba Rohrwacher and Pierfrancesco Favino in supportive roles help bolster the film’s emotional component. Director Pablo Larraín employs some high quality cinematography throughout, including the film’s opening and closing shots of Maria’s foyer and her beloved employees during her final moment. It’s both emotional and highly artistic, a testament to his skill.
Image: Netflix
