How
far will she go before she's gone too far?
Have you ever
watched a film that you admired, respected and
just thought "WOW!"...but you just never truly
connected with? "Maria Full of Grace" is such a
film for me.
In this film, a young Colombian girl longs to
escape her native country and agrees to ingest
drugs and transport them into the US. It is a
naive decision fueled by desperation and hunger
for a better life and for hope.
Writer/director Joshua Marston has created a
film of tremendous authenticity, pain and yet
beauty. Actress Catalina Moreno is stunning in
her film debut with a performance that balances
naiveté with street smarts, hopefulness with
despair.
This film is shot with great simplicity, and the
accompanying score is one of tremendous, well,
grace. It is perfect for this film.
Yet, there were moments when I found this film a
bit TOO simple...a bit TOO hopeful...a bit TOO
resolved for the grittiness of the subject. As
much as I had heard about this film, I expected
a much grittier, more harrowing film than was
presented.
"Maria Full of Grace" is an excellent film that
never quite pulled me in as much as I'd have
expected considering the subject matter and the
beautiful performance of Moreno. It remains,
however, a "technically" wonderful film and
promises a great future for filmmaker Joshua
Marston.
©
Written by Richard
Propes
TC Candler's Comment
This is a
very well made film with a star making turn
delivered by Catalina Sandina Moreno. Well
worth a look!
Jacob
Hall's Comment
N/A
