Reality is of little consequence on the stage and in “Maria.” It’s all about the raw feeling, which serves the movie well, more dream than history lesson about La Callas. Early on, she pops some Mandrax and tells her devoted butler Ferruccio (a simply wonderful Pierfrancesco Favino) that a television crew is on the way.

The important thing to know going into “Maria” is that it’s the third in a trilogy of films directed by the Chilean whirlwind Pablo Larraín that seek to recover the women behind the plaster saints of 20th-century iconography.

Following "Jackie" and "Spencer," director Pablo Larraín’s film is the third chapter of his trilogy about famous 20th-century women held captive by their celebrity. WBUR critic Sean Burns writes, "It’s finally a role that’s the right size for its star,

And for the first time in years, Jolie is back in the spotlight, in full movie-star mode. Her commanding performance in “Maria” seems assured

Maria,” Pablo Larraín’s cinematic portrait of opera legend Maria Callas, arrives as the third of the director’s films centered on iconic women of the 20th century. And like the other films in the trilogy — “Jackie” (2016),

Angelina Jolie took seven months of voice lessons to portray Maria Callas in Pablo Larraín’s Maria. The titular opera soprano left an indelible legacy with her unparalleled voice — and with her elegantly bold style,