Being Maria: Jessica Palud’s biopic of Maria Schneider, the actress made famous for very graphical scenes in a Bernardo Bertolucci film that were shot without her consent, is very by-the-numbers. It portrays a (fantasised) origin to her story, moves on to that infamous scene, and the aftermath. It is a heavy story that doesn’t quite allow for a decent character exploration. The solid acting is a saving grace: Anamaria Vartolomei plays the protagonist with good range, from the defiant innocence early on to the (justifiably) broken mess later; Matt Dillon plays a credible Marlon Brando (helped by the good prosthetic make-up by Valter Casotto); Giuseppe Maggio is effective as an oily Bertolucci. Production designer Valérie Valéro’s period recreation is very good.