Reviews

Maria (12A) |Close-Up Film Review   

Dir: Pablo Larrain Italy/ Germany/ US, 2024, 122 mins.

Cast: Angelina Jolie, Pierfrancesco Favino, Alba Rohrwacher, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Haluk Bilginer, Stephen Ashfield

Review by Carlie Newman

Everyone sees Angelina Jolie’s beauty, but not all acknowledge her acting ability. In this film about the great opera singer, Maria Callas, Jolie shows that she is capable of portraying a character – albeit a real person in this case – in a realistic and competent manner. 

In Pablo Larrains new film, Jolie plays the singer in the last week of her life. Although there are flashbacks to her time with Aristotle Onassis, the film concentrates on the end of her career as well as the end of her life in September 1977.  She is living in a grand apartment in Paris, with a devoted staff of only two, Ferrucio (Pierfrancesco Favino), her butler- who also acts as a chauffeur shopping assistant, bodyguard and even secretary.

The other member of her staff is the chef and housekeeper. Bruno (Alba Rohrwacher). Both give her advice and help, particularly with the medication which she is supposed to stop taking but hides everywhere. Her two helpers frequently find and dispose of the drugs. To help with her musical endeavours, she has her rehearsal pianist, Jeffrey (Stephen Ashfield), with whom she is attempting to mount a final concert. 

Pablo Larraín has already given us two films about celebrated women, JACKIE (Jacqueline Kennedy) and SPENCER (Princess Diana), so Maria is the third in his trilogy. 

Apart from Onassis, the great love of Maria’s life is singing, and particularly singing opera and this is what keeps her going. She tries very hard with Jeffrey to return to the magic of her earlier years and is very sad when she realises that she is unable to.

She remembers the past in conversation with a young man (Kodi Smit-McPhee) who has come to interview her. Her memories of the past are depicted in short scenes. Dramatic episodes include her time in Nazi occupied Athens. 

Her relationship with Aristotle Onassis (boldly played by Haluk Bilginer) shows his emotional dominance over her. We see here excerpts from Maria’s wonderfully successful career on stage. She had a powerful presence, which is well depicted by Jolie. We hear Maria’s fantastic voice and odd bits of singing are performed by Jolie. It all welds well together and Jolie is excellent portraying the early Callas as well as the later one who can never bring back her beautiful voice.