Callas, known as “La Divina” (The Divine), was an American-born Greek soprano who rose to fame in the 1950s and is often credited with the bel canto revival. She is considered one of the most renowned and influential opera singers of the 20th century and one of the greatest divas of all time due to both her talent and her temperamental reputation.

Fame, fortune and success: Everyone thinks that those three things go hand-in-hand. But as legendary opera singer Maria Callas discovered, great fame and great talent do not always equal great happiness.

WHAT IT'S ABOUT Angelina Jolie plays the renowned opera singer Maria Callas in this biopic, which like the other similar films from its director, Pablo Larraín, tells this enormously impactful person's story through the prism of a fixed moment in her life.

Yes, Maria is based on the true story of Greek opera singer Maria Callas, who died of a heart attack in 1977, when she was only 53 years old. Maria imagines the last few days of Callas’s life, in which once the once-great opera singer struggles with a drug addiction, hallucinations, and her declining health.

Throughout the film, there are many closeups of Jolie-as-Maria performing, leading viewers to wonder: Is Angelina Jolie really singing in Maria, or is she lip syncing to Maria Callas recordings? It's a mix of both.