Maria (dir. Pablo Larraín)

By: Adam Freed

What a feeling it must be to command the breathless attention of thousands with only a voice.  The list of individuals capable of unleashing this form of spine tingling emotional control is incredibly short.  Maria Callas, history’s preeminent operatic soprano lived just long enough to epitomize this rare gift.  Chilean filmmaker Pablo Larraín explores the waning days of Callas’ abbreviated life in the Netflix film Maria. With his latest work, Larraín (Spencer, Jackie) continues his cinematic inquiry into the lives of fascinating 20th Century women, casting light upon those who painfully lived under public scrutiny, only to retreat into a tragic existence. Although she was only 53 years old at the time of her 1977 death, Callas’ physical and mental health had deteriorated, rendering her a waiflike shadow of the unstoppable sonic force she once was.  In these unglamorous final days, Pablo Larraín chooses to introduce audiences to the legendary soprano by way of a transformative goosebump-inducing performance from the incomparable Angelina Jolie.   

For more than a quarter of a century, Angelina Jolie has built a reputation as an A-list actress whose talent lives up to the level of her notoriety.  Her emergence in Larraín’s Maria is a poignant reminder of the unmistakable gift Jolie possesses, far outweighing the tabloid-inducing gravity of her celebrity.  Trapped within the fragility of Callas’ body is a performance in which Jolie manifests a broken greatness hidden beneath the shroud of her troubled life.  The grip that pharmaceutical psychosis has on the once promising diva adds to the immediacy of Maria and is intended to leave audiences with the feeling that they are witnessing Callas’ final aria.  Pablo Larraín’s distinct visual style adds a great deal of interest to a story that some may misconstrue as being downtrodden. What saves the film from its own inevitability is the skillful utilization of a nonlinear timeline; permitting a fragile Maria several vibrant glances back upon a life of global stardom and unspeakable glamor. Visually, the choice to shoot a majority of the flashbacks in a glorious black-and-white, gives the impression that there is no European opera house or lavish soirée that ever stood a chance when Maria Callas unleashed her sonic gift or scintillating smile.  There is a gravitational beauty in the experience of witnessing Jolie command both environments with ease.

Maria is a film that in lesser hands may not have landed nearly as well. Credit to a script penned by Steven Knight for taking the creative risk of using actor Kodi Smit-McPhee (Elvis) as the living hallucinatory embodiment of Maria’s drug of choice, Mandrax. As Callus drifts unsteadily through her Parisian environs, Mandrax provides her company to tell the story of her incredible life and to assist audiences in recognizing just how deeply troubled and unhealthy the undeniably talented singer had become.  Credit too must be heaped upon costume designer Massimo Cantini Parrini, who has the luxurious task of fitting Jolie in the most glamorous and era-appropriate couture spanning three decades, all while adhering to the richly textured appearance of a Pablo Larraín film.  While opera as an art form has a tendency of alienating audiences as it presents as being somewhat elitist, Netflix is forced to weigh the promotion of a biopic about a renowned performer unknown to most subscribers. Whether or not Maria ends up being marketed to the appropriate audience is of little consequence, as its true achievement is found in the stunning performance of Angelia Jolie, one that is destined for Oscar’s golden spotlight. 

Target Score 7.5 out of 10:  Maria is Chilean director Pablo Larraín’s third study of an influential 20th Century woman.  Capturing the title role of Maria Callas is Angelina Jolie in what may one day be considered her finest work.  Although the film may present as obscure and unapproachable, it offers plenty to make its viewing a worthy endeavor.