Maria Full of Grace | | Cast : | Catalina Sandino Moreno, Guilied Lopez, Orlando Tobon | | Director : | Joshua Marston | | Studio : | Warner Home Video | | Format : | Color, Closed-captioned, Widescreen | | Released Date : | , 2004 | | DVD Released Date : | December 07, 2004 | | Language : | English (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled), French (Subtitled), Spanish (Dubbed) | | Audience Rating : | R (Restricted) | | | BUY THIS DVD FROM AMAZON |
Customer Reviews
| Rating |  | | Date | August 03, 2005 | | Summary | A- | Content
 | Great movie! Unfortunately those that are caught having to read the subtitles, will miss out. The translation left a lot to be desired. |
| Rating | | | Date | July 29, 2005 | | Summary | Just FULL of grace ... | Content
| The most shocking aspect of the 2004 Academy Awards was that some foreign, unknown, young woman received a Best Actress nomination for an obscure, foreign-language movie called "Maria Full of Grace." If I hadn't been paying attention the entire year previous, I would've been completely off-put. Who is this girl? Where are the nominations for all the "stars"? But Catalina is a star in her own right, especially after watching this movie.
The story follows her, as Maria, on a journey from humdrum Colombia to larger-than-life New York via drug-muling, in hopes of her finding a better existence, the effects of which indeed prove to be life-altering.
The only thing that really bothers me about this movie is that we're not entirely sure what happens at the end. We see the character of Maria walking through an airport terminal with a determined look on her face, but ... to where is she walking? It's open to the viewer's personal intepretation, and my OWN interpretation is that she was walking to the securtity office to turn herself in, now having served her purpose and almost losing her own life, she is indeed "full of grace."
It might be hard to relate to the fact that, myself, a suburban-middle-class-white guy, wouldn't ever know where to begin if I wanted to become a drug-mule. But I, and probably almost anyone else what watches this movie, can relate to the fact that Maria is simply looking to better her life, better provide for herself (and, as it turns out, her unborn child), and attempt to find "a way out."
Catalina Sandino Moreno is an exceptional find. Let's just hope that she continues on an enlightened path to a lucrative career, and the big studios don't destory her. |
| Rating | | | Date | July 28, 2005 | | Summary | All Praise Maria | Content
| Maria Full of Grace, directed by Joshua Marston, tells the story of a Columbian teenager, Maria (Catalina Sandino Moreno), who quits her job at a flower plantation and becomes a drug smuggling mule. Things go wrong as one of Maria's mule friends becomes sick as a pellet of drugs leaks into her system and thus leads Maria to find her friend's sister and forge a new life for herself and her baby.
Catalina Sandino Moreno is brillant and beautiful as a young woman struggling to overcome the hardships placed upon her due to socio/geographical poverty. This young actress stikes the right chord as a survivor and pioneer of a new way of life no matter what the risk. The director Joshua Marston brings to life the tradegy of low wages that plauge many Cental and South Americans and the dangers many immigrants (legal or otherwise) face when enter a new environment. The human drama, sacrifice and danger comes across as real and unforgettable. |
| Rating | | | Date | July 21, 2005 | | Summary | A Masterpiece | Content
| The most realistic story about drug traffic you'll ever see. This movie shows how colombian cocaine is infiltrated into the U.S. using people as "mules". Very accurate film on the subject. You can see how mules are recruited, why they agree to do it, and how they operate. What makes this film different is that none of the mules are thugs or oulaws, just regular women with regular dreams. What a debut for Catalina Sandino, unfortunately she didn't get the oscar...but she may get one soon |
| Rating | | | Date | July 13, 2005 | | Summary | Gripping | Content
| This movie will have you sitting on the edge of your seat, unsure and afraid of what the outcome is going to be. It tells the story of Maria, a headstrong and independent Columbian teenager, and the circumstances that led her to become a drug mule on board a plane en route to New York City, as well as how easily and tragically the young can be exploited, especially in a place where there are very few possible opportunites to choose. I also found the movie's portrayal of the conditions of life in South America and how America is viewed through their eyes eye-opening.
This is a well written movie worth seeing. |
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