2008 Woodie Awards
Maria Full of Grace and Praise
Kathryn Meyer
Issue date: 9/29/04 Section: Arts & Entertainment
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Maria Full of Grace is a suspenseful and shocking ride through the secretive world of Columbian drug smuggling. It is the story of one young girl's journey from Columbia to New York while carrying sixty-two pellets of heroine in her stomach. It is not, however, the drug smuggling that is the key subject of the film; it is more importantly about one girl's struggle to simply survive in a world of poverty and disappointment. The end result is a powerful film from debut writer and director, Joshua Marston that brings a perspective to an underground, often misunderstood, industry.
Surprisingly, Maria Full of Grace is Joshua Marston's first effort as a feature filmmaker. Marston, born and raised in Southern California, was actually going to become a photographer, but he soon realized his true love was film and quickly enrolled in New York University's film program. Marston creates a movie that is so effectively raw and realistic that those watching get a detailed and thorough glimpse into the devastating desperation of poverty and social immobility.
Maria Full of Grace is a Columbian film with a stellar cast. Newcomer Catalina Sandino Moreno is outstanding as Maria, the tragic hero who must cope with being a pregnant teenager bound to a town with no escape and opportunity to climb out of poverty. Her way of escaping is entering the Columbian drug trade by ingesting heroin pellets and bringing them to America. Moreno beautifully captures and never loses focus of Maria's innocence and naivety despite her involvement in an international drug ring.
Unfortunately, a subtitled film often intimidates moviegoers, and although Maria Full of Grace is indeed foreign, and therefore subtitled, audiences should not be frightened. This film's intensity and realistic portrayal of drug cartel will leave viewers floored. Marston avoids sugar coating the subject and creates a film that has just enough graphic detail to successfully convey the dark world of drugs. What Marston does best, however, is humanizing the dark, often taboo subject. He brings an entirely new perspective by creating a script that displays the desperation that leads to drug smuggling. He characterizes people who are not necessarily criminals, but simply people who feel they have exhausted all of their options.
Maria Full of Grace, although a fantastic film, has its flaws. At the climax, when Maria is suspected to be bringing drugs to the United States, Marston fails to deliver a solid dialogue and brings the film's otherwise smooth flow to a halting stop. The film to this point is at such a high caliber, and although decent, this one scene seemed to be below the capability of the actors and director alike.
Every so often audiences are hit with a movie that changes their perception of life, as they know it. Maria Full of Grace is a wonderful film that illustrates life from inside the dark world of drug sales and trafficking.
Director and writer, Joshua Marston, along with a terrific cast, delivers a phenomenal unforgettable film that is difficult to surpass.
Surprisingly, Maria Full of Grace is Joshua Marston's first effort as a feature filmmaker. Marston, born and raised in Southern California, was actually going to become a photographer, but he soon realized his true love was film and quickly enrolled in New York University's film program. Marston creates a movie that is so effectively raw and realistic that those watching get a detailed and thorough glimpse into the devastating desperation of poverty and social immobility.
Maria Full of Grace is a Columbian film with a stellar cast. Newcomer Catalina Sandino Moreno is outstanding as Maria, the tragic hero who must cope with being a pregnant teenager bound to a town with no escape and opportunity to climb out of poverty. Her way of escaping is entering the Columbian drug trade by ingesting heroin pellets and bringing them to America. Moreno beautifully captures and never loses focus of Maria's innocence and naivety despite her involvement in an international drug ring.
Unfortunately, a subtitled film often intimidates moviegoers, and although Maria Full of Grace is indeed foreign, and therefore subtitled, audiences should not be frightened. This film's intensity and realistic portrayal of drug cartel will leave viewers floored. Marston avoids sugar coating the subject and creates a film that has just enough graphic detail to successfully convey the dark world of drugs. What Marston does best, however, is humanizing the dark, often taboo subject. He brings an entirely new perspective by creating a script that displays the desperation that leads to drug smuggling. He characterizes people who are not necessarily criminals, but simply people who feel they have exhausted all of their options.
Maria Full of Grace, although a fantastic film, has its flaws. At the climax, when Maria is suspected to be bringing drugs to the United States, Marston fails to deliver a solid dialogue and brings the film's otherwise smooth flow to a halting stop. The film to this point is at such a high caliber, and although decent, this one scene seemed to be below the capability of the actors and director alike.
Every so often audiences are hit with a movie that changes their perception of life, as they know it. Maria Full of Grace is a wonderful film that illustrates life from inside the dark world of drug sales and trafficking.
Director and writer, Joshua Marston, along with a terrific cast, delivers a phenomenal unforgettable film that is difficult to surpass.