Being Maria

As the world is bracing itself for Billy Zane’s portrayal of Marlon Brando in the upcoming biopic Waltzing with Brando, rather quietly a film premiered in Cannes that saw another Hollywood great take on one of Hollywood’s greatest. In French production Maria, which aspires to tell the story of Maria Schneider, Matt Dillon plays Brando with a thick American accent stumbling through the foreign language on the set of Last Tango in Paris, before conspiring with the director to get the most authentic performance possible out of the young actress and scarring her for life.

Perhaps it is due to the fact that the feature is based on a relative’s memoir (My Cousin Maria Schneider), but Being Maria never fully leaves the outside perspective on her, betraying its international title – and likely its sales pitch. The illegitimate daughter of French actor Daniel Gélin, it is this connection, the film suggests, that landed her the role in Bernardo Bertolucci’s controversial romance at only 19 years old. The infamous shoot makes up a large part of Being Maria, but while this means sacrificing a more autonomous portrayal of Schneider and potentially magnifying the role of her abusers, the glimpses behind the scenes carry the strongest conviction of Jessica Palud’s biographical endeavour. Maria’s later drug use and amorous escapades are treated as secondary to her formative experiences on set and the disinterest in these scenes spreads to the viewer.

Anamaria Vartolomei (star of 2021 Golden Lion winner Happening) carries the feature with a sovereign performance, adding depth to Maria’s character where the script or mis-en-scène lag behind. The aforementioned Dillon profits from the familiarity of the shots of Last Tango in Paris, as physical similarities between himself and Brando fall short. The split between his character demanding his art explore something truthful, and intruding upon somebody else’s bodily autonomy to make it happen, is communicated with ruthless candour.

To anyone familiar with Schneider’s life and her work, Being Maria has little to offer. Its true crunch point lies in addressing those who still defend dehumanising acting or directing methods to hopefully grasp that art – as precious as it is – should never take precedence over someone’s wellbeing.

Selina Sondermann

Being Maria does not have a UK release date yet.

Read more reviews from our Cannes Film Festival 2024 coverage here.

For further information about the event visit the Cannes Film Festival website here.

Watch a clip for Being Maria here: