Maria (Larraín, 2024) - LFF

She wanted to sing till her last breath, and she did.

Angelina Jolie is back in full force in her newest, Oscar worthy, role as prima donna Greek-born opera singer Maria Callas in Pablo Larraín’s latest biopic Maria – the third in his trilogy of 20th century female icons. Leading up to her last days alive, Callas is living in her Paris apartment, with her two dogs, her butler Ferruccio (Pierfrancesco Favino) and housemaid Bruna (Alba Rohrwacher) as she is strung out on pills. 

The film opens up with the scene of Ferruccio and Bruna walking in on her dead body on February 16, 1977, then it returns to one week prior to Callas’ death. Throughout her last week we see her have a seat with Mandrax (Kodi Smitt-McPhee), the journalist named after her favourite drug. In her mind, Mandrax is making a film of her life, in fact, the first thing he says after turning on the mic is “I’d like to walk with you through your life.” 

While Callas knocks back a numerous number of different drugs, she feels her sense of reality slipping away but welcomes this. She is out of touch with her presence in the world and Larraín uses his non-linear narrative style to involve the audience in her struggles. When filming with Mandrax, Callas’ past is shot and shown in crisp black and white, while her present (1977) is shown in vivid sepia. The use of 16mm film is also present when the camera switches from the film’s central angle to her being filmed by Mandrax’s cameraman. The use of these three styles of film and colour first of all make it easy for the audience to follow the time frame being focused on during the scene. Yet, the use of black and white for flashbacks has become somewhat normal in cinema nowadays and tends to seem somehow more memorable – perhaps it is due to the homage to early cinema where all film was in black and white.  

Connecting her past to her present as she stumbles through time is also done through the use of her songs. The choice of Larraín to connect scenes from her past where Callas was at her best performing in front of sold-out crowds, to her present as she tries to gain her voice back was mesmerizing. In one moment, the audience sees Maria rehearsing alone with a single pianist, her voice not her greatest, but within seconds the screen is black and white, and we are transported to one of her sold out shows. 

Biopics can be difficult but can also come down to the portrayal of the lead actor. Maria stars Angelina Jolie at career best. Jolie took seven months of singing lessons to be able to get as close as she could to matching the sounds of Callas. Jolie’s posture and stance throughout the film embodies what could only be her. It is never easy to portray a real person on screen, but Jolie’s presence as Callas informs the audience everything they need to know. From the start of the film Larraín tells us Callas is falling apart and the only way she can keep control of her life is how she carries herself. She is sure of herself, and she is in control. Through Jolie’s portrayal, the audience sees Callas’ strength and intimidation – she will not give up or surrender. 

Though some may disagree, I believe Maria to be the best of Larraín’s 20th century female icons trilogy. Combining a magnificent lead actress with strong costars, the cinematographic choices made, and the sound/score, allowed for the audience to learn about Callas’ last days, and her past as well. 

Maria is releasing in US cinemas November 27th before streaming on Netflix December 11th. It will then get an international cinematic release in January 2025. 

Photo credits to IMDb, Netflix, and Salon.com