Maria Review: Angelina Jolie Shines In A Poignant Portrait Of Opera Legend Maria Callas
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Maria Movie Review: Angelina Jolie portrays Maria Callas with a regal stillness, a performance that leans heavily on poise, posture and moments of quiet despair.
Maria Movie Review: In Maria, director Pablo Larraín turns his lens once again to an iconic woman cloaked in public myth, following his acclaimed biopics Jackie and Spencer. This time, it's the legendary opera singer Maria Callas who receives the filmmaker's melancholic treatment, and Angelina Jolie steps into her shoes for a quiet, restrained yet emotionally rich performance that marks her much-anticipated return to acting.
Rather than offering a sweeping biography, Maria is an intimate, atmospheric portrayal of the diva's final days in Paris in 1977. Stripped of stage lights and applause, the film finds Callas in solitude, reflecting on a life filled with glory, heartbreak and a voice that once moved the world, now fading. There are no extended sequences of operatic grandeur or dramatic reenactments of her famed romance with Aristotle Onassis. Instead, we are presented with a woman tethered to memory and pain, isolated in a grand but ghostly apartment that echoes her past more loudly than any aria.
Jolie portrays Callas with a regal stillness, a performance that leans heavily on poise, posture and moments of quiet despair rather than theatrical flourish. Her Callas is imperious and proud, yet clearly struggling to accept the silence that has replaced her once-dominant voice. There's a touch of sharp humour in the way she spars with her loyal house staff, especially her butler Ferruccio (Pierfrancesco Favino) and housekeeper Bruna (Alba Rohrwacher), though the interactions are often tinged with sadness. The daily routine of moving a piano from room to room becomes one of the film's only light touches, reflecting the emptiness that has replaced Callas's once vibrant world.
The film drifts between present-day scenes of Maria's reclusive life and stylised, often dreamlike flashbacks, some rooted in childhood trauma during wartime Greece, others recalling glamorous but hollow moments of fame. Larraín's direction is confident but never showy, creating a slow-burning portrait that's less interested in narrative and more focused on mood. The production design, especially the apartment with its ornate furnishings and relics of stardom, does a lot of heavy lifting in conveying the weight of Callas' past.
Steven Knight's screenplay resists conventional biopic structure, instead layering Callas' emotional states with fragments of her memories. It's a bold choice one that may alienate viewers expecting a more traditional account of her operatic triumphs or famous feuds. Notably, the film avoids delving into her professional rivalries or collaborators, narrowing its gaze to her personal reckoning. That choice might frustrate opera purists but it feels in line with Larraín's aim to reveal the woman behind the legend rather than catalogue her accomplishments.
Angelina Jolie is the undeniable anchor here. She delivers a controlled and affecting performance that feels deeply internal, capturing the complex duality of Callas, the diva and the human, the adored performer and the lonely soul. There's a sadness in her eyes even when she raises her chin, and moments of vulnerability break through the steely facade. Jolie doesn't attempt to mimic Callas but instead channels her spirit, making the role her own while honouring the opera icon's tragic aura. For an actress known for playing powerful, assertive women, this is a beautifully subdued return.
The film's pacing is deliberately slow and its tone often mournful. Some viewers may find its structure meandering, and the emotional payoff more subdued than expected. Still, there's a haunting grace to the way Maria unfolds. It's less a biography and more a meditation on aging, fame and the erasure of identity once the spotlight fades.
In the end, Maria is not trying to tell us everything about Maria Callas. It is instead asking us to sit with her, feel her silence, observe her struggle, witness her reckoning. It's a film of quiet power, anchored by a performance from Angelina Jolie that reminds us why she remains one of the most compelling actors of her generation. While it may not satisfy those looking for a definitive account of Callas' life, Maria is a poignant character study that finds its voice in loss, memory and dignity.
Maria is currently streaming on Lionsgate Play India.
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