Maria (2024) - A Visually Striking Film
It’s an eye-opening film worth experiencing.
Music is so enormous.
Maria is a 2024 Netflix film based on the life of opera singer, Maria Callus. The story documents the final week of the singer’s life. As she attempts to reclaim her love for singing, Maria is warned by doctors of her ailing health.
Maria is an elegant biographical film about a famous singer. Before watching, I didn’t know anything about Maria Callus. This film examines an integral week in the singer’s life, exploring her passions. I had some issues with the opera segments until I realized how it reflects Callus’s love for music.
Angelina Jolie was the only choice to play Maria Callas. Despite her fame and fortune, Maria is not a spiteful person. She is proud of her passions for singing and opera. Jolie did a commendable job with her performance, evoking a graceful, almost ghostly presence. To prepare for this role, she took seven months of opera lessons.
However, only 10% of Jolie’s vocals are used, mixed with Callas’s recorded soundtracks. The lip-syncing was very obvious and took focus away. When you think about it, this is intentional. The film is more about Maria’s life rather than her voice. Since Maria’s health was failing in her later years, the dubbing emphasized her fading identity as an artist.
More credits include Pierfrancesco Favino, Alba Rohrwacher, Haluk Bilginer, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Stephen Ashford, and more. There was one storyline that deserved explaining, involving Maria as a teenager (Aggelina Papadopoulou). A scene with her singing to Nazi officers is never touched on again.
One of the standout portions of the film is Maria’s relationship with her servants (Favino and Rohrwacher). They were my favorite supporting characters. It’s nice to have a movie where servants are treated with respect. The trio look out for each other and act as a family. Their bond feels genuine.
Pablo Larrain crafted a deeply intimate and visually stunning character study of the opera singer. He focuses heavily on the mood and emotional weight of the story. Most importantly, he humanizes Callus. The film slowly strips away her ability to express herself, mirroring her decline in a deeply affecting way.
Music is an important part of Maria. Opera music lingers in the background of scenes. When there’s a quiet moment, it speaks volumes to Maria’s emotions.
The pacing is slow, repeating montages and songs. I do like how the film only covers one crucial week and not her entire life. Other biographical films should do this. It’s a good idea to encourage audiences to research, instead of inciting the person’s whole story. The film slowly strips away Maria’s ability to express herself, mirroring her decline in a deeply affecting way.
The cinematography by Ed Lachman is particularly striking with the camera looming in one Maria’s deterioration. The camera is always looming in on Maria, capturing wide shots with immense space. She has an elegant lifestyle, but how much did this really matter to her? The cinematography amplifies the diminishing magnificence of Maria’s once-magnitude life.
The story has a melancholic tone. Maria is not just losing her physical strength - she is losing her voice, which defines her talent. It’s awful to lose the ability for our greatest passions. That’s why we should always spend time on our passions. Our lives get busy pushing focus away from passion projects.
Maria received an 8-minute standing ovation when it premiered at the Venice Film Festival. Maria hasn’t merited the right audience for award season. The film deserves more praise as it’s a powerful tribute to the singer’s life. Maria is streaming on Netflix. It’s an eye-opening film worth experiencing.
About the Creator
Marielle Sabbag
Writing has been my passion since I was 11 years old. I love creating stories from fiction, poetry, fanfiction. I enjoy writing movie reviews. I would love to become a creative writing teacher and leave the world inspiring minds.
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