Maria

Movie: Maria

Running Time: 2:03

Nominated for: Cinematography

How I watched: Netflix

When it had me: Style

When it lost me: diva-ness

What systems does it challenge: Reality, Nazis, marriage

Biopics are typically clunky and unbalanced. But Maria had a more pleasing structure to it. The last week of Maria Callas' life is chronicled in a dreamy, drug induced sort of pastiche of memories, hallucinations and a constant attempt to grapple with reality. I appreciate that Larrain doesn't try to pack in every moment of her life or weigh us down with chronologies. Instead we feel the sort of emotional tapestry of her days as her life draws to a close, visiting key moments, people and experiences both good and bad.

Nominated for cinematography, this was very beautiful and a sense of magical realism helped showcase that beauty. An orchestra suddenly appearing on a walk through Paris in the rain; romantic stuff like that.

Angelina Jolie learned to sing opera for this! Some of the vocals you hear are her own, many are a mix of her and Callas. Like Bradley Cooper making Maestro last year, this heroic feat has mostly been met by Hollywood's silence. I think the other actors don't like a show off. 

This was a tough screening. I had to turn it off during my husband's work call. We are renting a big echoing house while our home is the ongoing site of a national disaster clean up. And the sound mix was rough here, too. I missed a lot of dialogue trying not to get blown out by the orchestral bits. But all in all, I enjoyed this film and the cool, dreamy vibes it had to offer.