Maria

Maria is a biographical drama about the final days of Maria Callas, the celebrated soprano who spends the autumn of 1977 in her Paris apartment. Living in seclusion, she is looked after by her butler Ferruccio and her housekeeper Bruna, who tend to her daily needs and try to keep her from withdrawing further. Refusing to see a doctor, she instead grants an interview to a young filmmaker, and the conversation leads her back through the turning points of her life. In the background lie her memories of Aristotle Onassis and the question of whether she might still return to the stage, despite a voice she no longer recognises as her own.

Pablo Larraín directed the film from a screenplay by Steven Knight. It is the ninth feature he directed, following El Conde, and it continues the run of films he made about famous women of the twentieth century after Jackie and Spencer. Angelina Jolie plays Callas, with Pierfrancesco Favino, Alba Rohrwacher, Haluk Bilginer and Kodi Smit-McPhee among the cast.

Maria was released in November 2024 and runs 123 minutes. It is a co-production of Germany, Italy, the United States and Chile. On IMDb it holds 6.4 out of 10 from around 25,000 votes, and on TMDB 6.5 out of 10 from a much smaller number of votes. A film critics' rating of 6.7 out of 10 from 223 reviews places it slightly above both audience scores.