There is something inherently cinematic in an opera house preparing for opening night. Add Verdi, La Scala and the controversial Russian prima donna Anna Netrebko to the mix and the ingredients for backstage drama would seem almost too perfect – explosive even. 

But La Scala: The Force of Destiny is more interested in observing the extraordinary machinery and collective effort required to make a major production appear effortless than revealing episodic flarings of backstage tension. 

Dancers audition for La Scala’s La Forza del Destino. Photo supplied

French director Anissa Bonnefont’s fly-on-the-wall documentary follows the 80 days leading up to La Forza del Destino, the opening production of La Scala’s 2025 season. There are no talking heads or explanatory voiceovers. Instead, Bonnefont’s gliding cameras quietly observe the singers, creatives, technicians, chorus and stage crew as they work towards the first night. The film offers unusually intimate access to an institution that has, until now, largely kept its doors closed to cameras.

What is striking is just how smooth the whole process appears to be. With around 900 people contributing to the production, one might expect more in the way of backstage...