Joey Magidson
Between Jackie and Spencer, Pablo Larraín has become a filmmaker closely associated with tragic women. He returns once again to that subject matter for Maria, a look at the final days in the life of opera legend Maria Callas. In some ways, this is familiar territory to be trafficking in, but in other ways, it’s a far different work. Playing at the Telluride Film Festival, the movie is deeply sad, hauntingly beautiful, and features a career best performance from Angelina Jolie.
Maria is a neater work than Jackie and Spencer in some ways, while in others, it’s a much sadder film, which is saying something. Jolie is incredible, as were Natalie Portman and Kristen Stewart before her, with Larraín capturing her perfectly. The investment in the character and the role pay off, as this is once again a chilly work, potentially keeping some at even more of a distance due to Callas being less well known to some audience members than Jackie Kennedy and Princess Diana.
Taking place in 1977, we’re with reclusive opera giant Maria Callas (Jolie) during the final week of her life. Her apartment is flawlessly kept up by butler Ferruccio (Pierfrancesco Favino) and housekeeper Bruna (Alba Rohrwacher), though they’re less successful in keeping her from popping pills. They’re destroying her health, but still, she persists.
Throughout the week, she participates in an interview with journalist Mandrax (Kodi Smit-McPhee), rehearses a return to music, is warned of her declining health by her doctor, and flashes back on her romance with Aristotle Onassis (Haluk Bilginer). When she stops to sing, the movie stops to admire her, and truly, time stops. A tragic end is inevitable, but not before she’s come to some peace with it, as well as found her voice of old.
Angelina Jolie has never been better than she is here. Her heart and soul is in this performance, combing the depths of Callas to bring out the passion for song, the deep sadness, as well as the contemplation of a life coming to a close before its time. She underwent vocal training to be able to do parts of the 1977 arias, which really does mix with actual Callas recordings well. Jolie, quite simply, is splendid and stunning. Pierfrancesco Favino is very good as her concerned butler, while Alba Rohrwacher is solid as the housekeeper who is one of the few people to still hear her sing. Kodi Smit-McPhee is wasted, however, in a role that amounts to very little. In addition to Haluk Bilginer, supporting players include Stephen Ashfield, Valeria Golino, Lydia Koniordou, and more, but Jolie is 100% the main attraction.
Director Pablo Larraín and writer Steven Knight reunite after Spencer, while cinematographer Ed Lachman returns to work with the filmmaker after El Conde. This is among Lachman’s most stunning efforts as a DP, combining with Larraín to take your breath away. The only issue here really is Knight’s script getting a bit cute with some of the flashback and hallucinating elements. They’re out of a simpler and less interesting movie. The music is impeccably implanted into the film, however, so between the look of it, Jolie’s performance, and what you’re listening to, it’s still an overwhelming experience.
Maria is even chillier than Jackie and Spencer, so that could keep it from soaring, but I was hypnotized by Angelina Jolie and Lachman’s camerawork. They’re among the most stunning elements of cinema, not just here at Telluride, but in 2024 on the whole. Know what you’re getting into here, but still…wow.
SCORE: ★★★1/2
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