Maria Full of Grace (2004 Film)

Friday, February 24, 2012

I wasn’t quite sure what to expect from this one, but as I’d not seen a Columbian production, I picked it up. And I was surprised beyond my expectations.



María Álvarez: How many times have you done this?
Lucy Díaz: Two.
María Álvarez: How did it go?
Lucy Díaz: Still here.

The Rundown
Behind the name: Original Title—María llena eres de gracia. Title is a triple entendre- Reference to Mary, mother of Jesus, “grace” refers to slang for heroin, and may also be the name of the character’s unborn child.
Country: Columbia, USA, 2004
 Genre: Drama
Distributed by: Fine Line Features
Director: Joshua Marston
                  Cast: Catalina Sandino Moreno (as María Álvarez), Virginia Ariza (as Juana), Yenny Paola Vega (as Blanca), Guilied Lopez (as Lucy Díaz), Patricia Rae (as Carla), Rodrigo Sánchez Borhorquez (as the supervisor), Charles Albert Patiño (as Felipe), Wilson Guerrero (as Juan), John Álex Toro (as Franklin).
                  Compare to: Traffic (2000), Sweet Sixteen (2002), Sangre de Mi Sangre (2007)
Hate it or Love it?  Love it.

Synopsis in a Sentence: A 17 year-old girl gets pregnant and is under pressure from her family and work: she meets a guy who links her up with the drug trade, and she tries her luck by attempting to traffic illegal drugs to the US by swallowing pellets of drugs—how far will her luck go?
           
Winner of numerous well-deserved awards, Maria Full of Grace tells the story of an underage girl who gets involved in the drug-trade to support her family and deal with her pregnancy. The story was so well told, and received, that it grossed over four times its budget in the box office!

On Writing: The Plot
A really, really good plot. Very vivid, very interesting and insightful. The story progresses and gets better with every minute. You feel the characters, progress with the plot, and appreciate the narrative. It’s a really good story very well told. *Can’t go on for risk of gushing out on the whole story. Don’t be lazy. Watch it*
(4.5/5)

On Acting: The Cast 
A great cast. Simple, authentic and genuine.
Moreno
Vega 
Lopez
 Catalina Sandino Moreno plays María Álvarez as close to perfect as possible, and earned herself — one of only 3 Hispanic actresses to achieve one — a well-deserved Oscar® nomination in the process. 
Supporting actresses Yenny Paola Vega (Blanca) and Guilied Lopez (Lucy) also present notable performances. A great cast of characters skillfully played out.

 (4/5)





On Production: The Creativity
A good production: simple and stark. Its shots that relay the state of the movie and its characters quite well.  
(3.5/5)                                             

On Resolution: The Conclusion
The resolution. It is one to remember. It’s a good conclusion, wrapped with intelligence, realism, and meaning. A very good conclusion.
(4.5/5)


The Verdict: A gut-wrenching ride. A great movie. Do see!

Overall Score = 16.5/20 

 






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