Mjeteconer Just perfect...

Baseshment I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

Salubfoto It's an amazing and heartbreaking story.

Dirtylogy It's funny, it's tense, it features two great performances from two actors and the director expertly creates a web of odd tension where you actually don't know what is happening for the majority of the run time.

Nicole C This film was well made with a good storyline, and acting, though it does seem like the reality of it is toned down a bit. For example the border officers who question Maria at the airport seem pretty comforting and not at all intimidating which I had the impression they would be. There are other instances as well where I felt that Maria had it easy, but I don't want to spoil anything.The acting is pretty great with Catalina Moreno doing her part of a young, innocent girl trying to make fast hard cash without really knowing the consequences. There is also good chemistry between her and Guilied Lopez. Lopez is not in many scenes, but makes herself pretty memorable. Patricia Rae who plays Lopez's sister also does a great job. I find it interesting that it is never really shown that Maria regrets her decision to be a mule even when she escapes from the two men. It could be because her character is resilient and stubborn, but I would have thought a breakdown would be included. Perhaps this film was made for more American audiences, and so individualistic personality traits are favoured. This can definitely be seen in Maria as she acts rebellious and is her own person from the beginning of the film. However, because she does not regret her decision of being a mule, it implies that carrying drugs in your body across borders is OK since it is a means to an end. Just a thought. This film does not really critique the drug industry, at least not that I can think of (apart from the chance that you might die a horrific death or be sent to prison). But because the film ended the way it did, which is what makes me think that there isn't a strong critique of being a drug mule/of the drug industry in general. Overall a pretty engaging film that shows the intimate system of drug mules. It is interesting to note that two women in this film are pregnant, and pregnant women seem very common in crime films. I wonder why that is. Read more movie reviews at: championangels.wordpress.com

paola_c Some people are unaware of the process of drug trafficking going on around the world. This job might look simple and easy, but it is actually a lot more risky than one might think it is. This situation is clearly shown throughout the movie "Maria Full of Grace," by Joshua Marston. This film specifically exemplifies the trafficking of drugs inside the poor neighborhoods of Colombia. Born and raised in the poor slums of Colombia, Maria Álvarez (Catalina Sandino), takes a big step towards moving away from her current situation. Sick and tired of living the way she does, she decides to step out of her comfort zone and embarks in a risky journey for the sake of her future. With only seventeen, María quits her job at stripping thorns from flowers at a rose plantation once she realizes this job is not going to sustain her and her unborn child. That is when she gets involved as a drug mule. Definitely, nothing like a typical teenage girl.First, while watching this movie, it is important to put oneself on the shoes of a person born and raised in this environment. That is why, it may be debatable whether Maria's choice on joining this precarious business was the best option for her. Obviously, for someone like her, drug trafficking provides much more income than a safer haven that might have given her way more less. Considering the fact that the character, not only quit her only job, and lived in a cramped place, but she also became pregnant at the time, being in her shoes, it was a desperate moment for money.Evidently, the title of the movie itself is ironic. Maria Full of Grace is not actually full of grace, but full of fallacy. However, if analyzed from a different perspective the meaning of the title can also be considered as a symbol. Even though drugs are not seen as graceful, it is grace for Maria. Being a mule provides her with enough money to even buy a real house for her family, which means that this amount of money will be what she will use to provide for her baby. The job she joins is definitely an open door of salvation, considering her conditions. That is why, she is a heroine for her future."Maria Full of Grace" is a valuable movie to watch because it demonstrates the struggles of a young girl weaving into a dangerous business in order to survive. This movie was well done mainly because of the cast chosen. The film started as an indie production with a low budget. Even Catalina Sandino (Maria Álvarez) started her debut as a movie star with this film. Nevertheless, she portrayed natural emotions that appropriately fitted the movie to which was nominated for an Oscar for Best Performance by an Actress. Also, the camera movements and shakiness gives for instance a feeling of verisimilitude. This technique creates a major impact on the audience by making them believe that the events on the movie are real, which helps transmit the extents that "Marias" would go for their sake. In general, the drug trafficking business portrayed was ingeniously interpreted. To finish off, this movie is not subjected to an specific audience because it demonstrates a world-wide problem that many have seen, heard, and even gotten involved with. Clearly, the theme of this movie is drug trafficking. With this film, the audience is able to get inside the roots of this smuggling system and see the thin ice in which the people involved walk on. The character Maria shows the bravery needed to overcome any fears and fight to strife to survive.

luciagp1720 Having recently seen the movie "Maria Full of Grace" I wanted to share my opinion about it. This movie follows the story of a young Colombian teenage girl who in desperate need of money is offered a position as a drug mule. Because she needed the money urgently, she accepts and the movie shows us her journey through this process. Written and directed by American director Joshua Marston, the movie won 35 awards including three from the Berlin International Film Festival, and was nominated for 24 other awards, including the Oscar for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role. It takes place in a rural town in Colombia. 17 year old María Álvarez (Catalina Sandino) lives in a house with her mother, grandmother, sister and her son; all who depend on a fraction of Maria's salary for a living. That is why when Maria tells them that she quit from her job at the flower factory (because of an unjust treatment from her boss) they immediately tell her to return to the factory and beg for her job back. Already having this burden in her life, Maria finds out she is pregnant with the child of her boyfriend Juan, who she ends up breaking up with. Maria stubborn as she is, refused to go back to the factory, and as a consequence went to Bogota in search of a job. On her way, she encounters an acquaintance that offers her a job as a drug mule, which would give her the amount of money she needs in a short time; and because "desperate times call for desperate measures" Maria accepts the offer along with her best friend Blanca. She'll be payed $5000 to take in and carry 62 cocaine pellets to New York. The rest of the movie shows the journey, which Maria (along with the other 3 mules), have to take to deliver the drugs and deal with the various obstacles that come through their way. The overall acting of the movie was great. Carmen Sandino is able to portray her character in an outstanding manner. Through the directing of Marston and her acting she was able to make the viewer believe she was really a teenage girl, a teenager that throughout the movie develops and grows into a woman. One of the things I like about her acting is that she doesn't necessarily asks us, the viewers, to like Maria, but in a way she asks us to understand her. One of the reasons why her acting was so believable is because she worked in a Colombian flower plantation for two weeks, another reason is that she didn't practice swallowing the pellets, since Maria didn't know how to. So, to make it even more believable she tried to swallow them for the first time during the scene. One that does an excellent job is Yenny Vega (Blanca), who through her actions in the movie is able to show the innocence, anxiety and desperation these girls have. Her character was despised by many, because of her attitude, (her nagging, and childlike personality) and her actions, (when she pulls out the bag of pellets in front of Don Fernando). The reason why she acts like this is because she is just a teenager, and that's exactly what the director wants us to understand. That she is scared, and anxious just like any other teenager and person would be in this situation. Guilied López (Lucy Díaz) also does an outstanding job; she is able to expose another reality of drug trafficking. The only but that I have for the acting is Lucy's sister, Patricia Rae (Carmen), she doesn't do a bad job, but she doesn't act the character as realistic as the others do. This movie gives the viewer another perspective from the drug world, not the typical cliché plot about the trafficking. The movie shows the struggle drug mules (specially women) have to go through. One of the main reasons why I liked this movie is because the movie doesn't mainly focus on the drug story, but it focuses more on Maria's life, and because of this the viewer might get emotionally attached to the character. I also liked that it all looks so natural and real. Like Stephen Holden said "what keeps your heart in your throat during the movie is Maria herself. In a performance that feels lived in rather than acted…"—Stephen Holden, The New York Times. One factor that I don't like about the movie is that they show the U.S as a place to achieve the American Dream, where problems will be solved, and many seem to have their lives together; but actually its not that of an ideal place as it is portrayed.The movie covers numerous topics worth discussing; from teenage pregnancy to poverty. Because it covers these topics it leaves various lessons. It teaches us that sometimes we have to face and accept the consequences of our actions, just like Maria is dealing with her pregnancy. It also exposed me a totally different reality than the one we live. It teaches me that sometimes there are situations in which people will do anything for money, even risking their own life and the life of loved ones; and its ironic because many are risking the life of loved ones for them, just like Maria did. I think many teenagers and adults will like this movie. I would recommend it to people who find this subject interesting, and people who like to see different realities and situations; it's a movie for anyone who feels mature enough to take in the story and to be presented with a crude reality. Since this movie has an R rating, kids should not watch this movie, since they might not understand it, as clearly, and there are various scenes, which can be a lot for them to take in. This is a great movie, I give it an 8.5/10.

adriana-calderon-acon Drugs. Not grace. It's drugs Maria is full of, for she has just swallowed nearly 60 pellets of cocaine that are on their way to New York. But do not be fooled, because it is a choice she was compelled to make in the context of an utter lack of opportunities in her small Colombian village. As a Latin American, I was deeply affected by the crude truths that are exposed in "Maria Full of Grace" in regards to the realities of those who are desperate and poor, especially as the situation presented in the movie is a reflection of what's happening in places in nearly every developing country of the world.Maria is a seventeen year old with nearly all odds stacked against her: a woman, pregnant, and most likely of a limited education, Maria works removing thorns from roses in a working environment of mistreatment and minimum wages. When she resigns from her job because of this, she finds herself at a stalemate, for there is no way in which she can continue providing for her family of five (and soon to be of six). Thus, when she is offered $5000 for a single trip as a drug mule, it is only expectable for her to jump right at the opportunity. The story then follows Maria in her dangerous trip to New York — through ominous security measures and other even more threatening figures involved in the drug trade — in tense scenes that manage to keep the viewer at the edge of their seats during the entire film. I wouldn't doubt that even the strongest nationalist would find himself rooting for Maria in her attempts of successfully taking the drug into the borders of the United States, for her story is portrayed in a way that the viewer can sympathize with Maria and what led her to make her decisions. Part of the verisimilitude of the story presented in the film is due to the praiseworthy acting of the talented Catalina Sandino Moreno, whose skills are debuted in "Maria Full of Grace." Through her striking expressiveness, Sandino manages to successfully create the strong-willed character of Maria, demonstrating the perfect mix of desperation and determination that propels the 17 year old girl through what could be a mortal journey. Another note-worthy performance is that of Guillied Lopez, who plays Lucy Diaz, the character that initially served as a model in the drug industry for Maria. Lopez, like Sandino, projects the image of a young woman who both knows what she is doing (as she has engaged in two trips as a mule before) and doesn't (which is shown in her fear during the last trip). Yenny Paola Vega (Blanca) also made a commendable job in contrasting Maria's focused personality, in contrast to Johanna Mora's debatable performance as Maria's sister (who, in my opinion, expressed little more than a pair of angry, wide eyes).Though I must admit that this is among the first World Cinema films that I have watched, part of the reason why "Maria Full of Grace" has compelled me so much is how keenly it reflects the reality of Latin America. The Colombian culture is evident in the busy scenes shot in Bogotá and the vibrant atmosphere of the scene in which Blanca and Maria attend a party. The director Joshua Marston's sense of storytelling can be truly appreciated in the manner in which he can transform the opinion of people; amongst the group of people with which I watched this film, there was a shift in how we viewed those who engage in the drug trade. By presenting Maria's story so personally — with his predominant use of hand-held camera shots and a stunning insight on her daily difficulties — the viewer's eyes are opened into a side of the drug trafficking industry to which they would be oblivious otherwise. I believe that this is what makes a good movie, for which I am grateful to Marston. As a fellow Latin American, however, I know I don't stand alone when I say that the ending portrays the United States as the only viable option for good living (therefore painting Colombia and other Central and South American countries as hopeless). There was little opportunity for Maria back in Colombia, though, and perhaps having it end this way is meant to show the perspective and motivation of immigrants. "Maria Full of Grace" deeply affected me in the sense of how blessed I am, for the reality of Latin America that I live in is completely different to that which is presented in the movie — and neither is less real. Though of course I am conscious of the situation with the drug industry, I never quite understood why anybody would want to join any way, much less as a mule given all of the dangers involved. Upon watching this movie I felt grateful of the conditions in which I was born, but also guilty as to the lack of actual sympathizing with those who weren't as lucky. I believe that this is a valuable lesson that anybody can learn from. "Maria Full of Grace" is a movie that deals with the human cost of getting drugs in the hands of other humans, and the exploitation of a person for the economic benefit of another. It is only more impacting because of the fact that thousands of people go through this in reality, which is looming ominously in the back of the viewer's mind during the entirety of the movie. Because of this, I would recommend anyone to watch this movie, because no matter where you live, it is real and it is happening. Though it is rated R by the MPAA, young people should be exposed to this as early as possible as to open their eyes to the reality of the situation. So go watch this movie! I'd give it a 9.5 out of 10 without a doubt.