Maria (TBC)

Angelina Jolie delivers her most resonant performance to date in Pablo Larrain’s mesmerising biopic about the diva of all divas, Maria Callas.

Set in September 1977 over her final week, the film flickers through her mind to memories and fantasies, exploring both her self-image and her place in the world. Maria lives in Paris with her housekeeper Bruna and butler Ferruccio, working to restore her voice after years of prescription drug abuse. A journalist follows her with a film crew, probing her past, stirring memories of her love for Aristotle Onassis and her strained relationship with her sister Yakinthi. She also reflects on key moments from her youth, when her mother pushed her relentlessly to be a better singer.

It’s a rich, immersive performance from Jolie. Hints of childhood abuse and a stifling relationship with Onassis shape Maria’s desire for control over her own destiny. Larrain weaves in operatic arias that echo her repressed emotions, while Spencer writer Steven Knight’s punctuates his script with dry wit, captured in subtle glances and deadpan exchanges between Maria, Bruna, and Ferruccio. Bold, inventive and elegant, with an emotional earthiness.