Maria Full of Grace
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Movie Reviews of Maria Full of Grace
Movie Review: Top Notch Storytelling. A New Favorite.
Summary: 5 Stars
Maria Full Of Grace has earned a place among my all time favorite films. The actors were remarkably believable in their delivery, in fact, I often forgot they were supposed to be "acting". This is, perhaps, bolstered by the use of unknown faces - unknown to me, at least. Their investment in making their roles as authentic as possible left me feeling that, for some of them, this was more than just another film. Maybe they were hoping it would be a launchpad to fame, maybe they really believed in the story or maybe some of them weren't acting at all. Maybe the subject matter was more personal than we, as the audience, can fathom. Simply put, there wasn't a weak character in the bunch. Regardless of their motivation, the product was the end-to-end display of top notch storytelling. Films and actors like these that reinvigorate my belief in the power of moving pictures.
The subtleties presented in this film add to the depth. The story shows the four paths in such a life: Tragic death (Lucy), imprisonment (the nameless 'curly-haired' woman), entrapment (Blanca) or escape (Maria); It's worth noting that Lucy was regarded as a bit of a 'veteran' after only two missions. This hints at very short careers for Las Mulas. It's unlikely that Blanca, with her lack of rugged sense, will last as long as Lucy did; In both her jobs, dethorning roses and smuggling cocaine, Maria was toiling away for the benefit of wealthy people who'd never know her name; I'm neither Catholic nor Christian, so I'm sure much of the symbolism presented herein is lost on me, but I trust it would be of importance to others who are more informed in that regard.
Upon the introduction of a new character I'd expect the new face to amount to little more than a convenient stereotype or caricature inserted to move the story along or to provide an easy villain. Much to the credit of everyone involved, they sidestepped my cynical expectations and delivered compelling, complex characters that each had an intriguing, yet unspoken, background that is likely film-worthy in it's own regard. From Blanca to Lucy to Javier to Franklin to Carla to Don Fernando (one of the most intriguing, IMHO) to the women in Maria's family to the US immigration officers, no character was squandered, no emotion overstated and no motive romanticized. I can't praise this film enough. As a man I enjoy seeing stories told from a woman's perspective. I appreciate being forced to think about matters from a different point of view and this film did so expertly. I also appreciate the appearance of under-represented populations. It's easy to turn remote groups into faceless ethnicities or nationalities. Films like this one give us the opportunity to learn about other lifestyles and, hopefully, become more understanding and perhaps compassionate in response. I hope to see more from everyone associated with this film. This is a DVD to purchase and watch repeatedly.
Movie Review: Share the Humanity...
Summary: 5 Stars
Maria Full of Grace is what makes films great. You read about Maria's story in the papers and you'll shrug your shoulders and say, "she got what was coming to her, a person with no moral values". You see her story on the big screen and you understand her...and more importantly, you become involved in her life.
First time film director, Joshua Marston shows what it means to be a mule with such step-by-step completeness that it's difficult to imagine that a documentary could be more detailed. It is a measure of Maria's desperation, her total lack of viable alternatives, that she should risk her life - all it takes to cause death is one leaky capsule - and at the same time place herself in the hands of murderously ruthless individuals.
A strong indictment of international drug trafficking and its myriad causes, "Maria Full of Grace" nonetheless is no tract but a perceptive evocation of an appealing young woman undergoing self-discovery under the most dangerous circumstances. This film may be one of the finest and boldest strokes of drama ever accomplished in the history of cinema.
Lead actress, Catalina Sandino Moreno may be in only her early 20s, but she is able to draw upon her considerable talent and training to create a portrayal that comes from deep within. She has a radiant screen presence that could give Salma Hayek a run for her money. You bleed for her survival and cringe whenever she fails.
In his feature debut Marston reveals that crucial gift of blending acute observation with spontaneity, leavened with humor and compassion. One of the best moments in the film occurs when Maria takes notice of a New York flower shop filled with roses. Marston pauses just long enough for the implications to sink in - and not a second more.
Marston's casting sense is unfailing right down the line. Yenny Paola Vega is Blanca, Maria's best friend, pretty, headstrong, a little chunky, well-meaning but not nearly as smart or nervy as Maria. One of the film's choicest roles falls to Patricia Rae as a kindly New Yorker originally from Colombia herself, who loves her homeland but is glad she fled it, given its present state, and is grateful for the opportunities New York has provided, no matter how hard she and her husband must strive to stay afloat.
The contrast between Maria's hometown and Jackson Heights, Queens, the film's key New York locale, could hardly be more jolting visually, yet they are connected by the universal and eternal day-to-day struggle for survival on the part of those on the lower rungs the socioeconomic ladder. What's more, in its vitality and finesse, "Maria Full of Grace" is all of a piece - and both artistically and spiritually itself full of grace.
Movie Review: Maria is full of Catalina.
Summary: 5 Stars
Maria Full of Grace is a surprisingly compelling foreign film this year or recent years. It's a very good low-budget film made by an American writer and director(Joshua Marston) which had taken him 5 years from writing the script to the finished film. The debut performance from the mesmerizing Catalina Sandino Moreno is trully captivating. She came across as a combination of Salma Hayek and LeeLee Sobieski. This film had won her the Berlin's best actress award, and I was really touched by her character as well as her performance.
Maria(Catalina) is an 18 year old living in poverty, and she works in a rose plantation in Columbia in order to bring home the bacon. She quit her job after an arguement with her boss, and her family was angry at her for losing the job. Meanwhile, she found out that she's pregnant and she has no desire to marry her "stupid" boyfriend. While she was looking for a new job, a friend of hers from the neighborhood introduced her to a drug dealer and told her that she can make lots of money working for him.
The job is to carry as many as 100 pellets of drugs in her stomach to New York city. It's a risky business, because if she gets caught, they might send her to jail. Also, if the pellets break in her stomach, she will die. Considered the big chunk of cash she wanted to earn, she took the job.
Along with several other girls on the flight who are also "carriers", Maria was very anxious whether she could make it all the way. She had to go to the toilet to "eliminate", and when some of the pellets came out, she had to wash them and swallow them down again. Her friend Lucy was in sweats, and had no idea that the pellet in her had been broken.
Maria was taken to the customs when she landed, because they suspected her and took an x-ray on her, and found out she was pregnant. She swore that she was not a "carrier", and they released her. One of the girls got caught, Maria, Lucy, and Blanca survived the customs.
They were picked up by the local dealers outside the airport and taken to a motel to "eliminate" the pellets. Lucy was already dying, and ultimately the dealers ended up cutting her open in order to get the pellets. Maria and Blanca were horrified and ran away with the pellets. They had no where to turn except Jucy's sister who had lived in NY for 4 years. There they had to figure out how to solve their trouble and tell the truth to Lucy's sister....
This is my favorite Spanish film since Talk To Her, and I think it's going to get a few Oscar nominations including best original screenplay and possibly best actress, considered that they had nominated the girl from Whale Rider.
Movie Review: Desperation, Hope and Love Must Live Together In the Human Heart
Summary: 5 Stars
There could be a melodramatic midday movie centre to a film about a young, pregnant, Colombian girl who becomes a drugs courier in order to leave her the crushing hopelessness of life at home. Instead of saccharine coated answers, this story is told with a naturalistic, almost documentary style that is maintained throughout the film.
In her debut film Catalina Sandino Moreno plays Maria with an unforced honesty. Moreno has a luminous, natural beauty you can see been worn away by the hardships in her life. Maria's family depend on her income from a soul-destroying job working in a Bogotá cut-flowers factory. Her life gets so bad, Maria's choices begin to run out and she risks everything becoming a drugs `mule'
The most dramatic scene in the film is when Maria is forced to swallow more then sixty pellets of heroin. The gritty details about the swallowing and later excreting of these pellets are excruciating to watch. It is Maria's grace in spite of this you begin to hold onto, and becomes the anchor of the film.
Making the journey to the USA with Maria is Lucy (Giulied Lopez), a woman who has made the trip before. Unlike Maria, she can swallow a drug pellet with ease. The only pain Lucy shows us is the sadness in her eyes. On the flight they take into New York's JFK are several drug mules. The idea is if the customs officials capture one, they will be pre-occupied enough for the rest to slip through unnoticed.
When disaster does strike, Maria is forced to take steps to protect her family back home in Colombia and her unborn baby by reaching a decision that, one hopes, will mean a better life. Like the rest of the film, even this potentially emotive part of the story is given a direct, and in a way beautiful, honesty.
Although director John Marston cast Colombians to plays Colombians, none of the film was shot in that country. The drug trade has made it one of the most dangerous places on Earth. To portray this upheaval, a big budget Hollywood effort may have been more effective. Maria Full of Grace is instead a personal story about the deadly combination of drugs and dire poverty, which observes, without providing any simplistic answers.
Movie Review: Dark yet hopeful film...
Summary: 5 Stars
When I rented this film, I wasn't sure if the overall film was going to be a "downer". It just seemed like the overall topic and story of the film was going to be depressing, but that's not the case. Not entirely.
Essentially it's about a teenage girl wanting to get out of a dead end life in Columbia, where the only job worth working at is picking roses, for an unsympathetic boss. The little money she makes goes towards her sister's baby, and the frustration to leave grows. Even though it's a dead end town (funny that New Jersey factors into the film), they still manage to have fun.
Maria takes a ride with a "slick" (for small town) guy into Bogota where she planned to take a maid job, but instead got sidetracked into shipping drugs as a "mule". She befriends a girl named Lucy when she meets the drug dealer. He doesn't come off as the stereotypical druglord, but more fatherly, however he does lay down the law with her.
The incentive is that all she has to do is go over for a week, and when she comes back, she'd have enough money to buy a house.
Maria is pregnant from her boyfriend, who is just young and still into hanging with friends, and content to be as he is. I wouldn't say he was a "loser", but was more content with being there.
Her best friend Blanca is more of a pain and "tag-along" than anything else, but winds up going along with Maria to be a "mule" carrying pellets of coke.
The 3 girls go on the plane to New York/New Jersey, and the real adventure begins. Even though they are in another country, there are aspects of home there as well...
The film isn't as harsh as "Amores Perros", the tone and theme of the film could be compared to "Real Women Have Curves", where both main characters center around young girls coming of age and escaping their families, although in radically different ways.
The characters in the film are realistic and sympathetic, there are no stereotypical good or bad guys, the bad guys come off more as "doing their job" than anything else.
I feel it's worth watching more than once and if you're a fan of Latino Cinema, a good story and independent films, it's an essential.