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Netflix brings to home audiences an aspiring biopic of the late Greek opera soprano Maria Callas, titled ‘La Divina ‘. In this love letter, Academy Award winner Angelina Jolie portrays Callas, a.k.a La Divina, the divine. The film revolves around Callas’s low points at the end of her life as she struggles to find her award-winning voice again. Director Pablo Larraín shows themes of loss, love, and self-discovery throughout the film.
Viewers witness Callas living in Paris in 1977, four years since her last stage performance before she fell ill. In her Victorian apartment, Callas, accompanied by two dogs, butler Ferruccio and housemaid Bruna, wanders the halls with haunting visions of her past glory. La Divina’s erratic behavior often causes concern for her housemates. Callas seeks solace in the empty apartment, pouring her heart into her famous notes while Bruna claps to lift her spirits. The scene opens with her singing in the kitchen and transitions to her on stage with an ensemble behind her. Callas is plagued by hallucinations, with Ferruccio monitoring her daily pill intake.
Callas finds comfort in self-medicating on Mandrax, which causes hallucinations. Mandrax became a staple in her mind, disguising itself as her interviewer and camera crew. Larraín executes the sense of perception vs. reality when Callas goes in and out of her past life while self-medicating. Others view Callas in a constant state of mental anguish when she parades around with Mandrax/interviewer – speaking to herself only.
Throughout the film, Callas reminisces about her most cherished moments, which she has now lost. Her past was when she felt in control when music fueled her passion, desire, and love. Music was not just a part of her life; it was her life.
The film delves into Callas’s relationship with Onassis, a Greek tycoon captivated by her. Their love was unconventional, intense, and ultimately heartbreaking. Despite her passion for Onassis, she refuses to be controlled by him. Her refuge was opera, a passion that Onassis despised. The battle between her first and last love came to a devastating halt when Onassis married Jackie Kennedy in 1968.
The relationships between Callas and her family suggest someone always wanted her for money. Larraín gives the audience the perception that her parents weren’t in her best memory as they are never on screen, only mentioned. “People disappoint me, always,” Callas tells Mandrax in a cafe.
Callas endures so much in her professional and personal life in the visions in her mind that she finally discovers herself. She knew what she wanted out of people and things. Life was beyond the stage, but she found what kept her going. The constant was music. Music saved her, and she merged with it in the end.
