Aug 30, 2024 | 10:00 EST
Director: Pablo Larraín
Screenwriter: Steven Knight
Cast: Angelina Jolie, Haluk Bilginer, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Pierfrancesco Favino, Alba Rohrwacher
Genre: Biographical Drama
Duration: 2 hours 15 minutes
A Blurry Portrait of an Icon
Maria, directed by Pablo Larraín, aims to explore the life of Maria Callas, one of the most legendary opera singers of the 20th century. However, the film struggles to capture the essence of its subject, delivering a vague and unfocused portrayal that feels more like an abstract painting than a detailed biography. While Larraín has previously succeeded in humanizing iconic figures like Jackie Kennedy and Princess Diana, his approach in Maria misses the mark, leaving the audience with a sense of detachment rather than engagement.
A Legend Lacking Universal Appeal
Maria Callas, who passed away at 53 in 1977, was undeniably a towering figure in the world of opera. Yet, unlike Jackie or Diana, her story does not carry the same global fascination. While her life was marked by scandals and tragedies, Maria fails to establish a strong connection with viewers who may not be intimately familiar with Callas’s legacy. Larraín’s technique, which often involves subverting preconceived notions about well-known figures, proves less effective here, where the audience enters the theater with fewer expectations and less familiarity.
Clunky Storytelling and Underdeveloped Themes
The film’s narrative is hampered by clunky storytelling and underdeveloped themes. In one flashback sequence, presented in stark black-and-white, we learn about the trauma Callas endured during World War II when her mother essentially exploited her. This traumatic event, which could have provided deep psychological insight, is only briefly touched upon and never fully explored.
Instead, Larraín shifts the focus to Callas’s tumultuous affair with Aristotle Onassis (played by Haluk Bilginer), a relationship that eventually unraveled due to Onassis’s marriage to Jackie Kennedy—a possible nod to Larraín’s previous work. The film expects the audience to feel the grand drama of this doomed romance, but the emotional impact never truly materializes. Similarly, Callas’s introspective moments, delivered in interviews with an imagined interlocutor (Kodi Smit-McPhee), feel hollow and generic, offering little genuine insight into her complex psyche.
Angelina Jolie: A Glimmer in the Gloom
Despite the film’s shortcomings, Angelina Jolie delivers a performance that breathes some life into the otherwise lackluster narrative. Jolie’s transformation into Callas is striking, particularly her midcentury accent, which, while not perfectly accurate, adds a layer of authenticity to her portrayal. She effectively conveys Callas’s regret and wounded pride, maintaining the poise of a diva even as she grapples with her inner turmoil.
However, Jolie struggles to convince the audience during the musical scenes, where the transition between Callas’s recorded voice and Jolie’s own singing feels awkward and unnatural. These moments, meant to be the emotional high points of the film, instead highlight the dissonance between the performer and the legend she is portraying.
A Misguided Artistic Vision
The film’s visual style, while elegant, often feels more like an exercise in artifice than a genuine attempt to understand Callas as a person. Larraín’s preference for moody, atmospheric settings and abstract narrative choices, which worked well in films like Spencer, here contribute to a sense of detachment. Rather than shedding light on Callas’s legacy, the film seems more interested in fitting her into a preconceived mold of tragic womanhood, bending her story to suit Larraín’s stylistic preferences.
Supporting Characters Offer a Glimmer of Humanity
Interestingly, Maria finds its most authentic moments not in its portrayal of the titular character, but in the quiet, tender performances of the supporting cast. Pierfrancesco Favino and Alba Rohrwacher play a butler and cook, respectively, who care for Callas in her final days. Through their subtle and heartfelt performances, the film momentarily captures the warmth and intimacy that is otherwise lacking. In their eyes, we see glimpses of the real Callas—complicated, fragile, and deeply human—offering the audience a rare, genuine connection to the woman behind the legend.
Final Thoughts: A Missed Opportunity
Maria is a film that had the potential to be a deeply moving exploration of an iconic figure but ultimately falls short. While Larraín’s artistic vision and Jolie’s dedicated performance bring moments of beauty and emotion, the film’s overall execution is marred by vagueness and a lack of emotional depth. For those familiar with Maria Callas’s legacy, the film may offer some interesting insights, but for the uninitiated, it struggles to convey the significance of its subject.
In the end, Maria leaves us with a blurry, incomplete portrait of a woman who deserves better—a diva whose life was as complex and dramatic as the operas she performed, yet whose story here feels more like a shadow than a spotlight.