Whether she’s trapped in the flat, digital picture of a Marvel movie or buried under showy prosthetics and CGI in a Disney franchise, Angelina Jolie has always been a star able to transcend hindrances that would easily hold lesser actors back. Still, watching someone with such sheer magnetism fight against intellectual property’s many constraints feels disheartening. Films like “The Eternals” and “Maleficent” still sport Jolie’s typical charisma, but their stories are often too thin and tidy to showcase what she can really do. Jolie hasn’t had a chance to demonstrate the full scope of her talents in far too long, which is precisely why her star turn in Pablo Larraín’s “Maria” is bound to turn heads: It’s a performance that only someone of true, old-fashioned movie star caliber could pull off.
Larraín’s film finishes the director’s triptych of contemplative, women-focused biopics, this time honing in on Greek opera legend Maria Callas. “Maria” is just as thoughtful, studied, and occasionally peculiar as 2016’s “Jackie” and 2021’s “Spencer.” But in his latest, Larrain’s ruminations on a more traditional idea of celebrity are less stirring than those quiet portraits of figures like Jacqueline Kennedy and Princess Diana, whose lives and careers sparked controversy because of their proximity to politics. “Maria” is still a tragedy in its own right, just one that finds its subject with greater control over her own fate. That autonomy keeps “Maria” from being a thematic gut punch about predestination like Larraín’s other outings, but Jolie’s stunning central performance makes up for what the film’s story lacks. Watching her is a singularly captivating, intimate experience, like strolling around a museum after hours, when no one else is there, free to admire the renowned beauty and artistry at your own pace.
