Pablo Larraín’s Maria aims to close out his “Important Women” trilogy (Jackie and Spencer) with the same air of refinement and introspection that defined his earlier works. This time, the focus is on opera icon Maria Callas, exploring her final years leading up to her untimely death at 53. While the film mirrors Larraín’s usual penchant for lavish production and psychological dissection, Maria struggles to fully realize its potential, often feeling like a hollow echo of his earlier movies.
Angelina Jolie steps into the role of Callas with a quiet intensity, but the film’s structure leaves her with little to work with. Larraín’s vision of Callas as a symbol of unattainable perfection is clear, but the execution lacks the emotional depth needed to make her story resonate. Much like Jackie and Spencer, the movie traps the audience in its subject’s psyche, using tight shots and languid pacing to convey her loneliness. Yet here, these techniques feel more like a crutch than a tool, dragging the narrative rather than enhancing it.
The opulent production design and sweeping operatic sequences are undeniably beautiful, but they mask a lack of substance at the core. Callas’s life is reduced to broad strokes of isolation and melancholy, with little effort to explore the complexities of her artistry or personal struggles. Instead, the film leans heavily on Larraín’s signature style, but without the nuance or freshness that made his previous works engaging.
Where Jackie and Spencer offered piercing insights into their subjects, Maria feels like it’s going through the motions, content to rest on the aesthetics of tragedy without digging deeper. The result is a film that’s as hollow as it is polished, leaving its audience with little to hold onto.
In each of the movies in the “Important Women” trilogy, you see a side of fame and social status that is accompanied by an unrealistic expectation to hold up certain values, put on a smile, and not try to make any waves. Which is precisely what Maria Callas (played with precision and care by Angelina Jolie in a return to starry, awards-friendly roles) is attempting to dismantle. In Maria, Callas is portrayed as a woman striving to break free from the rigid expectations placed on successful public figures, whether in the spotlight or behind closed doors. Jolie’s performance is effective, channeling the complexities of a woman trapped by fame.
For someone unfamiliar with Maria Callas—as I admittedly am—this sense of detachment proved a significant barrier to connecting with the film. Larraín’s decision to keep his narratives so tightly bound to his subject’s immediate perspective, a hallmark of his style, works best when there’s a degree of shared understanding or curiosity about the person in question. With Jackie and Spencer, there was at least a cultural framework to lean on—an ingrained sense of the worlds of Camelot or the British monarchy. Here, Maria offers no such entry point, assuming an emotional investment in its subject that might not exist for everyone.
This lack of accessibility becomes an issue as the film unfolds, with its abstract style often prioritizing mood over substance. While Jolie brings a genuine presence to the role, her efforts feel wasted in a narrative that struggles to make Callas’s story compelling to the uninitiated.
Of the three films in Pablo Larraín’s “Important Women” trilogy, Maria is the one I found the least engaging, primarily due to the absence of the political intrigue that added a layer of interest to Jackie and Spencer. In those movies, the broader sociopolitical dynamics lent depth to the characters’ struggles, even when the narratives felt insular. Here, that layer is missing, and the film leans entirely on Angelina Jolie’s muted performance, which feels too delicate and self-consciously “performative” to carry the weight of the story. It’s reminiscent of the same issues I had with Kristen Stewart’s portrayal of Princess Diana in Spencer: the breathy, understated internalization of emotions becomes monotonous, with little evolution or complexity to hold attention. These performances, while technically proficient, often seem to begin and end at surface-level impressions of their subjects.
Technically, Maria is too polished and meticulously crafted to write off completely. Larraín’s visual language—his eye for atmosphere, the sumptuous production design, and the ethereal cinematography—remains a highlight. However, as the trilogy progresses, there’s a sense of diminishing returns. This might be partly due to my lack of familiarity with Maria Callas’s life, as Maria feels designed to reward those who already hold an appreciation for her legacy. For newcomers, the movie offers little in the way of accessibility or an emotional anchor, leaving outsiders with the sense of peering into a world they can’t quite access. Admirers of Callas and/or Larraín may find joy in the film’s finer details, but for anyone else, the entry point is elusive.
Score: 4/10
Maria (2024)
- Cast: Angelina Jolie, Pierfrancesco Favino, Alba Rohrwacher
- Director: Pablo Larraín
- Genre: Drama, Musical
- Runtime: 123 minutes
- Rated: R
- Release Date: December 11, 2024
More Movies Directed by Pablo Larraín
Pablo Larraín has directed the following movies:
- Jackie (2016)
- Ema (2019)
- Spencer (2021)
- El Conde (2023)
- Maria (2024)
More Movies Starring Angelina Jolie
Angelina Jolie has starred in the following movies:
- Gia (1998)
- Girl, Interrupted (1999)
- Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2005)
- Wanted (2008)
- Salt (2010)
- Maleficent (2014)
- Eternals (2021)
- Maria (2024)
