First off, let me say that this is NOT your typical biographical drama that starts in the present and then flashes back to the past (I assume this applies to Pablo Larraín’s other biopics as well, though I haven’t seen them). Nope! In Maria, we mostly witness the final days of Callas before her death in 1977 in Paris (and let’s be honest, the City of Light plays a starring role alongside her. Besides the interior scenes in her hotel with her butlers—whose performances are Oscar-worthy for Best Supporting Actor and Actress—there are many exterior shots that give the film a genuine French elegance!). There are only a few black-and-white flashbacks (the cinematography is stunning, both in the present’s color and the past’s monochrome), mostly of the Greek diva’s memories of the late Onassis (the Turkish actor Haluk Bilginer is excellent in the role of the Greek shipping magnate. Personally, I thought he even looked like him!).
Greece only appears in one scene during the German Occupation, set indoors, with Angelina Papadopoulou playing a young Callas singing an incredible a cappella, and Lydia Koniordou as her mother (who speaks just a few lines in Greek). I kept wondering why Jolie’s scenes were shot in Greece. Likely, they filmed moments where Greece “stood in” for France or used interior sets involving Onassis.
As for Angelina Jolie, while she doesn’t physically resemble Callas (to me, in scenes where she smoked, she reminded me of Melina Mercouri—the way she held her cigarette and her demeanor), she delivers a stellar performance. I honestly believe she’s more deserving of an Oscar here than in Changeling, for which she was last nominated. (I haven’t seen Girl, Interrupted, the movie that earned her only Oscar for Best Supporting Actress.) And if it’s true that she sang those operatic parts herself—wow!
Critics have pointed out that there are moments where she feels more like Angelina than Maria, but I didn’t notice this. Most of the time, I saw her acting. If there were brief moments where her own personality came through, I think it’s justified due to her deep connection with the role (being a diva herself). Also, one of the film’s central themes is the contrast between Maria the woman and Callas the diva. And honestly, if directors can infuse their biographical films with personal elements, why can’t the lead actor or actress do the same? (Imagine Aliki Vougiouklaki playing Callas—she’d be all Aliki from start to finish, given their shared “diva” status in the theater world!) For the few parts of the film where I didn’t enjoy her performance, I blame poor writing, not Jolie.
The only misstep (if we’re talking about a diva of opera, let’s call it off-key) was the verbose yet somehow empty screenplay. This might not even be a flaw if you view the film purely artistically—after all, this isn’t a movie driven by story or plot. Artistically, it’s a masterpiece, from the direction and editing to the sound. Plus, the lack of plot might be justified by Callas’ deteriorating physical and mental state, to the point where she hallucinates and can’t distinguish reality from illusion. Since her thoughts lack logic and coherence—and these thoughts dictate what we see—perhaps that’s why the film has no (obvious) structure. Still, for a two-hour film without a traditional plot, it had excellent pacing!