OSCARS 2025: Maria (2024)

When I went into Pablo Larrain's “Jackie” back in 2017, I expected a typical biopic like what the Academy tends to favor. Instead, I got a bracing exploration of how fragmented a traumatic event leaves the human mind. Five years later, Larrain would direct “Spencer,” another biography of an iconic woman and frequent fixture of tabloid reporting, which delved further into the realm of psychological horror as it showed the crushing pressure of being a constant source of public scrutiny. I don't know if Larrain always planned it this way but he definitely had a theme going. Last year, he would release what seems to be the final part in his trilogy of movies about beloved and debated famous women of the latter half of the 20th century. That would be “Maria,” a movie about Maria Callas... So, uh, who is that? Well, for people – like me – who do not follow opera, Maria Callas was one of the most popular, beloved, and controversial sopranos of her time. The more niche subject matter might be why “Maria” didn't receive quite as high-profile a reception as Larrain's earlier biopics, scoring only a single Oscar nomination for its cinematography. 

The film follows Maria Callas in the last seven days of her life. The once celebrated opera singer has become a recluse. Her behavior is erratic, often going days without eating and popping pills of many different types. Her ability to sing has atrophied, contributing to Callas' depression. She considers a return to the stage, after many years away, but her health prevents her from having the operatic range she once did. A young filmmaker worms his way into Maria's home and asks her about her life, her past, and her present. She reflects on her traumatic childhood, how she first began singing, her history of prima donna behavior in the opera, and her on-again/off-again romance with billionaire Aristotle Onassis. 

Pablo Larrain would really shake up the biopic genre with “Jackie” and “Spencer,” attempting more to capture the headspace of his topics and not merely replicate the facts of their lives. This expressionistic style of biography brought these women more to life than a traditional approach would. Those two films also created a tone of nerve-wracking anxiety, delving deep into the trauma Jackie Kennedy and Princess Diana might have lived with. “Maria” does not go that far in capturing the frantic thoughts of its heroine. “Maria” is still a non-traditional approach to the biography. The events of Maria's far past are depicted as black-and-white flashbacks or Super-8 recordings, her memories often weaving in and out of her present. At least once, we see her fantasies come to life on the steps of a famous building. The tone is reflective, rather than tense, as Maria is far more resigned to what her life was and what it is now at this point in her life.

That's not a bad thing. However, “Maria” plays out in a fairly slow and contemplative manner. There's not much forward momentum in the story, as the film is largely composed of Callas hanging out around her home. The device of a filmmaker interviewing her – which also allows for a few fourth wall breaks – is an attempt to force some structure on a rather shapeless story. The most outwardly exciting thing that happens is when Maria cusses out a man who reminds her that she cancelled a performance at the last minute. Otherwise, we get a lot of scenes of her walking around Paris, talking about her life, trying to sing again, and communicating with her overworked staff. It's not that the story doesn't have stakes. “Maria” bends towards the rather melodramatic reveal that its title character will literally die if she sings again. However, “Maria” can't create the kind of unnerving energy that was present in “Jackie” or “Spencer,” having more humble goals in mind. 

“Maria” is nominated for its cinematography and it's easy to see why. This is a ridiculously pretty motion picture. Edward Lachman bathes the film in warm, earthy colors, as if furthering the image of Callas as a woman frozen in amber. The camera often takes super-wide angles, confining its characters as far-off figures in ornately detailed environments. The approach recalls “Barry Lyndon,” with the way it suggests both a scientific exactness and a painterly expressiveness. The sets and costumes are all top-notch, elaborate and stylized, full of living details that were clearly meticulously researched. “Maria” is the kind of movie you could pause at just about any point and have a gorgeous image. I don't know how much Netflix and the five separate production companies with logos at the beginning spent on “Maria” but every dollar of it is on-screen. 

At the center of the film is Angelina Jolie. This is clearly the kind of actor and material pairing that seems designed to attract award season attention. I'll admit to being split on Jolie's talent as a performer, often not finding her as magnetic as many do. However, she does find a good match for her acting style in the character of Maria Callas. Callas was, after all, a literal diva. This gives the few sequences of Jolie becoming especially upset or emotive some extra meaning. She's muted through a lot of the film, instead adding a great deal of sardonic energy to the role. It makes sense, as this is a person at the end of their life weighed down by a world of regrets. Jolie alternating between understated emotions and bigger, showier scenes balances her out nicely. That so much of the film is composed of Jolie playing off other actors further keeps her from either over or underdoing it. Larrain utilizes his star well.

Ultimately, “Maria” can't make the mark that the previous entries in this thematic trilogy. It doesn't seemed designed to do that. Instead, it's a far calmer and more elaborate film, happily awash in details. It's quite a lovely viewing experience but not one that resonated with me all that deeply. It certainly didn't make me more interested in opera as an artform, though good on anybody able to do something that enormous with their voice. Larrain continues to be a talent to watch though. By the way, JFK appears in this movie too, so you can pretend that Natalie Portman as Jackie is in the next room or something, if having a Sixties Sad Famous Woman Cinematic Universe is important to you... [6/10]