Following his acclaimed historical biopics Jackie and Spencer, about Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and Princess Diana, respectively, Chilean director Pablo Larraín has made his third entry in an unofficial trilogy about world-famous women dealing with the blinding glare of celebrity while at emotional crossroads. In an all-consuming performance at once poignant and imperious, Angelina Jolie becomes Maria Callas, the American-born, Greek opera singer whose voice and intensely dramatic life captivated millions before her death from a heart attack at the age of 53.

Set in Paris in September 1977, during the final week of her life, Maria follows the legendary soprano as she negotiates her public image and private self and reckons with the increasingly blurred boundaries between the venerated “La Divina” and the vulnerable human being Maria.

Reviews

"Larraín exquisitely composes every image, placing the fragile figure of Maria in jewel box settings that are framed with the lush care of a Rococo painting." – Entertainment Weekly

"Edward Lachman’s (El Conde) cinematography allows the transitions between reality and unreality, colour and black and white, to melt into one beautiful, sad dream." – The Independent