As someone who really liked Jackie and adored Spencer, I was sincerely hoping for the best with Maria. And while it’s definitely the weakest of the three films, there is still a lot to like about Maria, namely Angelina Jolie. It’s a much more quiet and soft-spoken performance than I was anticipating, but that works so excellently in her favor when you compare her to the larger-than-life opera singer persona. You go into the movie expecting Jolie to play more to the diva qualities of this singer, but it’s instead a much more lowkey and quietly devastating performance, much like the other Larraín biopic performances.
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The movie is absolutely stunning, both in terms of visual style and storytelling. If there’s one thing that Larraín has not lost, it’s his ability to really showcase his eye for the visuals, showcased here with some pretty gorgeous cinematography. As for the story, it’s a lot more muted than a lot of his other work. It’s a conflict that feels much more internal to the protagonist. They have a duty to their people, but not as much as the previous films in this unofficial trilogy. It’s a story that feels more personal to the protagonist, and Jolie does an excellent job of portraying that.
Where this movie loses me a bit more than Pablo Larraín’s previous films in this trilogy is how surreal it all feels. The other films have that element in there for sure, but it’s not quite as meandering as it is here. The movie can really feel aimless, living in the shadows of the ones that came before it. It’s a much softer and much more inquisitive film than the others, making it feel sort of long-winded. Maria (2024) unfortunately doesn’t have as much bite as Spencer or Jackie, but instead relies on the more dreamy quality to carry the narrative. And while I think some will love that about this film, it’s going to lose a lot of people too.
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Nightbitch is written and directed by Marielle Heller, based on the novel by Rachel Yoder, starring Amy Adams, Scoot McNairy, and Jessica Harper. An artist sets her career aside so that her husband can have his job while she raises their kid. After two years she makes a discovery about herself in a very strange way.
The trailer for this movie made it seem far worse than what it is. Amy Adams gives a great performance in a movie that is mostly all on her to deliver. The twins that they got for the role of the son were actually good too. And even though McNairy isn’t in the movie a ton I think he gives a really nice supporting performance. There are plenty of laughs in the movie to keep you engaged.
However, the whole movie has the metaphor of being animalistic by nature and is forgetting that an animal nature is a part of us and I think the metaphor is a little too clunky at least the way the story is told. The message is clear but then there are moments where I felt like the script was undermining the message. All in all Nightbitch is well made with some great acting that is let down by its script.
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