The Venice Film Festival’s final screening of ‘Maria,’ Pablo Larraín’s hotly anticipated tribute to opera legend Maria Callas, was an experience I wouldn’t trade for the world. I arrived at the Lido just in time for the screening, having sprinted across the city after a frantic arrival, determined not to miss the final showing of this captivating film.
‘Maria’ is a deliberately strange and beguiling film, mirroring the complex life of its subject. The story begins at the very end, with Callas found dead in her Parisian apartment at the young age of 53. From this tragic point, the film delves into a week prior, showcasing the brilliance, fragility, and torment that marked her final days.
Through a series of sepia-toned flashbacks, we see a younger, more radiant Maria, her voice – a captivating blend of recordings and Angelina Jolie’s own singing – still extraordinary and goosebump-inducing. However, a darker side emerges as well. The once-lauded soprano is erratic with her staff, addicted to pills, haunted by memories, and seems to be grasping at a doomed comeback.
Larraín, known for his unique approach to biographical storytelling, crafts a film that is anything but conventional. Just as his previous works, ‘Jackie’ and ‘Spencer,’ delved into the lives of iconic women, ‘Maria’ presents a fragmented and intensely personal portrait of a woman struggling with her own demons.
Jolie’s performance is truly remarkable. She captures Callas’s imperiousness, dry humor, and sphinx-like charm with equal measure, revealing the quiet shame and fragility that lie beneath the surface. In one poignant sequence, the anguish in Callas’s eyes when a doctor warns her that singing will be her undoing is a testament to Jolie’s powerful portrayal.
While the film is visually stunning, its narrative is somewhat uneven. There are too many interludes focused on Onassis, presented in a washed-out black and white that disrupts the film’s vibrant opulence. The inclusion of John F. Kennedy, Jackie, and Marilyn Monroe feels somewhat gratuitous and doesn’t truly contribute to the overarching narrative.
Despite these minor flaws, ‘Maria’ is a compelling and visually arresting film that offers a glimpse into the complexities of Callas’s life. It is a testament to Jolie’s exceptional talent and Larraín’s artistic vision. While the film may not be a definitive portrait of the opera legend, it is a powerful and evocative exploration of a woman who, in the face of her own mortality, struggled to define her legacy.
