Maria

The biopics of acclaimed Chilean director Pablo Larraín - Jackie about Jackie Kennedy and Spencer about Princess Diana - stand miles apart from the conventional biographical film. His latest work follows this same path. Maria is a portrait - both glorious and tragic - of Maria Callas, the most influential opera star of the twentieth century. The world-renowned soprano passed away in 1977 from a heart attack, after years of increasing seclusion in her Paris apartment. Despite her tumultuous life, Callas became a true icon in the post-WWII era, particularly noted for her unconventional and commanding approach to performance. Maria shows the final week of the diva's life, while exploring her turbulent past through evocative flashbacks - from her unhappy childhood under the shadow of a domineering mother to her tempestuous love affair with magnate Aristotle Onassis. Larraín deliberately blurs the lines between Callas' dreams and the facts, creating a compelling and poetic film, with an intoxicating performance by Oscar winner Angelina Jolie as 'La Divina'.