8 years of litigation and a pact of silence

In the air of this December Monday, just when the calendar seemed to close another chapter of life, Brad Pitt y Angelina Jolie, The god and goddess who once embodied the Hollywood ideal signed the agreement that put an end to one of the most notorious divorces in recent decades. Eight years after the daughter of that Midnight Cowboy named Jon Voight formally request the dissolution of his marriage, the litigation ends, not with stridency, but with a whisper that echoes in the hills of Los Angeles but also in the vineyards of Provence.

The story began, like so many others, under the glare of celluloid. It was 2005, the year in which the filming of Sr. y Sra. Smith It lit a spark between Pitt and Jolie. He was then over 40 and she had not yet reached 30. On the screen, they were the explosive couple; In real life, they looked like the heirs to a modern dynasty, grabbing headlines with their impossible beauty and expanding family life. Six children, three biological and three adopted, They formed the core of what many considered a renewed version of the American dream, cosmopolitan and glamorous. The 2014 wedding, in Chateau Miraval, It was the culmination of that myth. There, among vineyards and Provencal sunsets, they promised an eternal love that was already beginning to crack. Just two years later, the castle would be the epicenter of its downfall, not only as a home, but as a symbol of a union that proved unsustainable.

But everything began to fall apart on September 19, 2016, when Jolie filed for divorce. He did so with accusations that cast a dark shadow on Pitt: physical and verbal assault during a private flight, pressure to sign confidentiality agreements, years of what she described as emotional abuse. Although investigations cleared him, the damage had already been done.

The war that followed was both personal and material. On the one hand, the custody of his six children – an emotional battlefield where family relationships were deeply affected – and, on the other, the Château Miraval, that property that had been a refuge of love and that now became the epicenter of legal confrontations.

James Simon, Jolie’s lawyer, summarizes the outcome with the seriousness that the case deserves: “This agreement is just one part of a long process that began eight years ago. Angelina is exhausted, but relieved,” reads the statement sent to Page Six. His defense, he says, has been focused on the well-being of the children, who have been inevitable witnesses and key pieces in this framework. Zahara, Shiloh and Vivienne dropped the last name Pitt of his documents, a gesture loaded with symbolism, while Maddox y Pax, The older ones cut off all contact with their father. Only Knox y Vivienne They maintain some bond, although distant. The echo of this family fragmentation is the most painful legacy of a love that once seemed unbreakable.

In the material sphere, Château Miraval remained the perfect metaphor for the litigation. Valued at 140 million euros, with 30 hectares of vineyards, the castle was both a paradise and a trap. Disputes over his property and income from his vineyards prolonged the legal battle until the last minute.

For Pitt, this agreement comes at a time of relative stability. At 61 years old and with two Oscars under his arm, The actor seems to have found emotional respite in his relationship with Inés de Ramón, a jewelry designer who just turned 32, came into his life two years ago.

At the Venice Film Festival, their joint appearance marked a statement of intent, a gesture that suggests Pitt is ready to leave behind the ghosts of the past and look forward. “Brad is interested in getting married again, and it’s all thanks to Inés,” say sources close to the actor cited by the Anglo-Saxon press. Even friends in your inner circle, like George Clooney, They have given their approval. The possibility of a new wedding, away from the spotlight and turbulence, marks a radical contrast with the bitter end of his union with Jolie.

The invisible side of Angelina

For her part, Angelina Jolie faces the epilogue of this story with a mixture of relief and fatigue. “She doesn’t speak ill of Pitt either in public or in private,” affirms its surroundings. In these years, his focus has been on rebuilding his children’s lives and rediscovering his own light after what he describes as a dark time. The actress and director, who is one of the most influential figures in Hollywood, has chosen silence as a weapon.

Through his lawyer, he made it clear that his priority was never revenge, but rather finding a path to peace. The actress is about to release the film in which the life of the legendary soprano Maria Callas in a feature film in which he offers, they say, what may be his best performance to date and directed by Pablo Larraín.

First look at Angelina Jolie in Pablo Larraín’s next biopic about iconic opera singer Maria Callas. pic.twitter.com/0eYKz1izS1

— Film Updates (@FilmUpdates) October 9, 2023

The divorce agreement between Pitt and Jolie puts an end to a period of litigation and reproaches, but also leaves unanswered questions. What really happened on that private flight? What wounds, invisible to the public, still remain open in your children? Ultimately, this story has no winners, only survivors. Pitt and Jolie, two stars who shined together and now do so separately, have learned to live with the scars of a union that was as passionate as it was destructive. With this pact, Hollywood loses one of its most controversial and media sagas, but both actors seem to have found a minimum of balance. Pitt, with the possibility of a new marriage; Jolie, with her role as mother and defender of family well-being. The world will continue to watch them, no longer the golden marriage they once were, but as two individuals who, despite the glamor and fame, have lived a story as complex and human as anyone’s. Because, in the end, love and heartbreak are the oldest and most universal script of all.