Maria – REVIEW

Angelina Jolie in Maria

Pablo Larraín is the Chilean director mostly known these days Jackie and Spencer, two of three in a loose trilogy of films that focus on iconic 20th century women. The first, which has a mesmerizing lead performance from Natalie Portman as Jackie Kennedy, really snuck up on me the first time I saw it. That let Spencer, where Kristen Stewart gives a knockout performance of the late Princess Diana, blow me away as one of my favorite films of the 2020s so far. There’s also Larraín’s last film, the Pinochet-skewering satire El Conde, which is also a stunning slow-burn. That being said, my interest was through the roof for whatever Larraín’s hands were on next. Maria, the third film in this loose trilogy not only doesn’t have the magic of Larraín’s past work, but has seemingly lost what made the other entries so interesting. Angelina Jolie plays influential opera singer Maria Callas in her final days, ones where she still can’t escape the spotlight that she’s been trying to avoid. Where films like Jackie and Spencer thrive in the details of the respective women’s lives, Maria is shockingly sparse. Even screenwriter Steven Knight feels like he’s flailing. As much as I enjoy his script for Spencer, it’s as if he doesn’t know how to write a woman without having her be attached to a cold-hearted husband. That being said, there are still some positives to pull out from this lump. Jolie does some nice work here, and it’s very nice to see her back on screen. The ending is also soul-crushing stuff. If you don’t like hearing dogs whimper like me, maybe it’ll crush your heart. Even with the good stuff, Maria never finds its voice.


Ryan’s Grade: D+