Movie Review: Angelia Jolie Is Radiant in Attractive, Highbrow ‘Maria’

Pablo Larraín’s Maria marks the end of the filmmaker’s trilogy focused on tragic historical women. The first two were Jackie (2016), in which First Lady Jackie Kennedy deals with the assassination of her powerful husband, and Spencer (2021) about Princess Diana Spencer-Windsor’s struggle with family and societal pressure.

Maria is centered on the last few months of legendary opera singer Maria Callas while she’s isolated in Paris. As with Larraín’s two previous dramas, liberties are taken with accuracy to create a specific atmosphere and narrative for his character study. But the visuals and performances almost make up for it.

In 1977, the reluctantly retired Greek-American opera singer (Angelina Jolie) lives privately with her two dogs, housekeeper Bruna (Alba Rohrwacher) and butler Ferruccio (Pierfranco Favino). While her staff worries about her, Maria focuses on mentally accepting that her singing voice is past its prime and that she might be having hallucinations. Meanwhile she is being interviewed by a young, aspiring documentarian named Mandrax (Kodi Smit-McPhee).

Alessandro Bressanello and Haluk Bilginer co-star as Maria’s ex-husband Giovanni Meneghini and her former lover Aristotle Onassis, while Valeria Golino makes an appearance as Maria’s older sister Yakinthi. Spencer screenwriter Steven Knight penned the script, while Edward Lachman contributes the striking cinematography, and Callas’ real opera recordings make up the soundtrack.

Aesthetically speaking, Maria is the most attractive and highbrow feature film of the year. Larraín’s direction is top notch per usual, and Lachman provides the same Oscar-worthy camerawork he was nominated for before with Larraín’s El Conde (2023). Here Lachman makes use of 35mm film, as well as both B&W and 8mm film for flashbacks. Not only is this an ode to Callas’ legacy, but also a reminder of how much of a legend Jolie herself is.

Three years after her underwhelming comeback picture, Taylor Sheridan’s Those Who Wish Me Dead (2021), Jolie is truly back in one of the best female lead performances of the year. Not only is she a natural talent, but the true definition of a superstar, radiating with every close-up on film.

The one problem with the film arises when Larraín shoehorns in references to Onassis’ second wife, Jackie Kennedy, as well as cameos by John F. Kennedy (Caspar Phillipson) and Marilyn Monroe (Suzie Kennedy). The scenes are distracting, even if Callas was acquainted with all three figures.

But, all in all, Maria is a solid conclusion of Larraín’s trilogy, with much to offer fans of Jolie and maybe even fans of Callas.