39/21
world-famous opera singer Maria Callas
Plot
Maria Callas, the world’s greatest opera singer, lives out her final days in 1970s Paris as she comes to terms with her identity and life. Angelina Jolie and director Pablo Larraín discuss how they connected to the film’s heartbreaking true story. The third and final film in Pablo Larraín’s so-called “Lady in Heels” trilogy of female-led biopics, following Jackie (2016) and Spencer (2021).
I’m hungry for flattery
Maria Callas: Book me a table at a bar where the waiters know who I am. Reported in Close-Up: Why Do We Need the Venice Film Festival? (2024).
This film was a pleasant surprise for me
It’s not just the great and studied performance of Jolie, an actress who until now had not convinced me of her acting abilities. However, all the self-admiring and borderline narcissistic traits are absent from this film. Jolie delves into Maria’s fragile and generally declining character and produces a more than convincing and award-worthy portrait.
The depiction of the era is also quite meticulous
The really pleasant surprises are the directorial approach and the script. Focusing on the last week before her death, she has a balanced approach to her memories through several flashbacks, her past and present relationships, her adoration for music and opera, her poor health, her feeble attempts to come back, her distorted perception of reality. using a lot of barbiturates, her nostalgia, the need for flattery and love.
All in appropriate doses
Two hours spent trying to get in touch with Maria..not Callas!!!. No need to waste time scrolling endlessly: here is the full range of new movies and TV shows streaming on Netflix this month.