Audiences idolized him, and women swooned at his feet. Under the stage name of ‘Farinelli’, Carlo Broschi became the biggest opera star of the Baroque period. The Belgian director Gérard Corbiau delves deep into the world of the 18th century for his lavishly filmed musical drama, which aims to portray — with a certain amount of dramatic license — Farinelli’s career and the intense relationship he had with his brother, the composer Riccardo Broschi. The sound and huge vocal range of the castrato voice were digitally recreated for the film, by blending the voices of a countertenor and a soprano.