Being Maria

there’s enough of an emotional intelligence inside the bumpier elements of “Being Maria” that the movie effectively acknowledges that it’s only one part of a complicated life story.

If the meandering nature of the film makes the psychic fallout seem tonally scattered, it nevertheless conveys the sense that she’s sleepwalking through life — and always fighting to snap out of it.

Palud, who previously worked with Bertolucci, does her most evocative work in the on-set sequences, with a coddled Brando (a terrific Matt Dillon) and an increasingly vulnerable Schneider.

The film is buoyed by Vartolomei’s constant pursuit of the truth, and by the intensity with which Maria is always searching to see herself reflected in the eyes of those looking at her -- our eyes very much included.

“Being Maria” vibrates with sympathy and loss.

As a creative work, it’s mild, but it’s audacious nonetheless, and its audacity lies in its very existence.

Although Being Maria is dedicated to Schneider’s memory, it also consumes her in that purge.

Jessica Palud's Being Maria — positioned as a feminist response to Bernardo Bertolucci's toxically male Last Tango in Paris, released in 1972 — is an undisputed triumph.

Being Maria chronicles how a naive young woman was victimized by artists she trusted, her descent into addiction, and the monumental struggle to reclaim her artistic freedom. Anamaria Vartolomei elevates the script with gripping nuance.

Being Maria is a scathing rebuke to unchecked sexism that dominated the film industry for way too long, and a well-deserved portrayal of trailblazing actress/activist.