Angelina Jolie Shines As Maria @Venice Film Festival

Director Pablo Larrain directs this biopic on iconic opera singer Maria Callas played by Angelina Jolie in one of her more memorable roles. Maria premiered at the Venice Film Festival with quite the buzz and much star power as Jolie only needs to stand by herself. The film follows Maria on the latter days of her life where she is living in Paris with her cook and butler who is at their beck and call. A reporter played by Kodi Smith-McPhee is shooting a documentary on her as she reveals all about her life which includes her ex lovers, her rise to stardom and when she began singing in her childhood. Maria she discusses her life in snippets as you can see that she is at her height of her mental health issues and drug use.

The majority of her stories to the reporter revolves around her ex lover Aristotle Onassis and how his riches wooed her off her feet from her own husband at the time. Onassis was determined despite his low level of attractiveness in which Maria managed to become still vulnerable to. She also remembers a time where she was a heavier set child who sang for soldiers for money when she was younger. But where this film stands out is when Jolie sings the songs of the iconic soprano. The music of Maria Callas is so engaging and emotional and complements the film so well as well as her life.

What makes this film so engaging is how Maria now in her early 50s learns more about her life by revealing it the reporter. Simultaneously she wants to relive her prime years by trying to sing again. This is where she heads to a crossroads because her body is not letting her. Her mind is telling her that she can but her body is telling her another thing. This is what happens to many of us as we get older.

It also happens to the best of us especially when we have a talent that is world renowned like Maria Callas. The film is actually beautiful and there was perhaps no way that Angelina Jolie would let one second film to be wasted on nothing. FERNTV says that this film has all the elements of being epic.