REVIEW: ‘Being Maria’ lets Maria Schneider’s story take centerstage
Photo: Being Maria stars Matt Dillon and Anamaria Vartolomei. Photo courtesy of Kino Lorber / Provided with permission.
The new biopic Being Maria offers an in-depth look at the life and career of actor Maria Schneider, known for her roles in The Passenger and Last Tango in Paris. This latter movie and the difficulties Schneider faced when filming the feature provide the bulk of the material in the new drama. As has been reported before, Schneider, newly arrived in the film business, was cast in Bernardo Bertolucci’s romantic drama with Marlon Brando. It was the opportunity of a lifetime for the actor, but ultimately this dream come true became a nightmare.
The additional information that Being Maria provides offers much-needed context for the various scenes in Last Tango, including one of most infamous and controversial scenes in film history. In Bertolucci’s original, the character of Paul (Brando) rapes Jeanne (Schneider), but Schneider was not told about the scene beforehand and was completely caught off guard when the on-screen rape occurred. For more information on this story, click here for The New York Times’ recent article.
Being Maria stars a powerful and engaging Anamaria Vartolomei as the title character. She imbues Schneider with humanity and truth, allowing the audience to see her in different stages of her life, including at home with family, as an aspiring actor, throughout the difficulties of Last Tango and gearing up for the much more positive surroundings of The Passenger, which may go down as her most celebrated role. Vartolomei is impactful in her portrayal, showcasing skill as Schneider the person and Schneider the actor. It must be a challenge for actors to portray the craft of acting in such a way, but Vartolomei succeeds on all fronts.
Supporting work from Matt Dillon as Brando (the voice is just right) and Giuseppe Maggio as Bertolucci is similarly excellent, but director Jessica Palud, working off a script she wrote with Vanessa Schneider and Laurette Polmanss, rightly keeps the character of Schneider as the focus of the drama. This is an authentic piece about a woman who faced numerous challenges and disrespect, and how she overcame those obstacles to find her place in film history and her path toward healing and happiness.
Being Maria, so well done, is necessary viewing to better understand Last Tango in Paris or any of the other movies starring Schneider. The film provides much-needed context about the behind-the-scenes horrors that she had to contend with in the 1970s. In the end, Schneider, as portrayed by Vartolomei, finds love and life, and decides to chart her career and future on her own terms.
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
Being Maria (2024). Directed by Jessica Palud. Written by Palud, Vanessa Schneider and Laurette Polmanss. Starring Anamaria Vartolomei, Matt Dillon and Giuseppe Maggio. Running time: 100 minutes. Not rated. Click here for more information. Rating: 
