Review of Maria Full of Grace (2004) by Filipeneto — 23 Oct 2021

I was curious to see this film for two reasons in particular: the first was because it was spoken in Spanish and, even so, it had so many admirers within the English-speaking public. That is, for having overcome the linguistic and cultural barrier that, many times, blocks European, Asian and South American productions. The second reason was the general theme of the film: the drug couriers, a more than sufficient premise for a good dramatic film.

The script is really good: in the middle of a rural village in Colombia, which depends almost entirely on large intensive rose plantations for export, a young girl named María, still underage, has just lost her job and discovers she is pregnant with a boy he doesn't even really like. In order to help with the family economy (it's a big family, mostly female), she decides to go to the capital, Bogotá, to look for a better job. On the way, however, she ends up seduced by Franklin, a young man who promises her easy money if she agrees to ingest drug capsules and smuggle them to the United States.

With this story, we are presented with a series of pertinent problems, which are almost transversal to all of Latin America: drug trafficking and the way in which innocent but desperate people are used in this business, sometimes with threats to their families; the way minors are exploited at work, and the way they accept this to help their parents and families, even dropping out of school; the breakdown of families, with abandoned single mothers (even minors), teenage marriages and the ignorance (or neglect) of parents regarding their children's sex lives and the practice of safe sex; in short, it is the social portrait of a poor Latin America, dependent on the richest countries, and where not even religion is able to help maintain some morals and family values. It's a scenario I know from having friends in this region of the world, and the film managed to transport to the screen very well.

Catalina Moreno is a young Colombian actress that I really enjoyed discovering and hope to see in more work in the future. She was happy in her effort to give life to a naturally kind and naive protagonist, and she captures our sympathy with the way she untangles herself from problems, with a courage and capacity for initiative superior to her age. The rest of the cast doesn't do more than help her in her task, and the only one who really deserves a praise for her job is Yenni Paola Vega, in the role of a friend with whom María maintains a difficult and troubled relationship, but to those who do not deny help.

Technically, the movie is pretty good. Discreet cinematography takes advantage of the best of South American scenery and landscapes, providing us with good colors and a pleasant contrast. The entire film exudes verisimilitude, credibility, authenticity, and almost makes us forget that it's just fiction. The film has an excellent editing and the duration is short, as it leaves us wanting to see something else.