Maria Full of Grace

            The DVD cover pictures a young Latina woman about to swallow a pellet that contains white powder.  It's no secret that this is a film about drugs and the dangerous way they are smuggled into this country. 

            Catalina Sandino Moreno plays Maria Alvarez.  It's her first film role and considering her performance, I find that amazing.  She took an acting class and was referred anonymously to the casting director.  In the story, Maria is the protagonist and the camera is on her most of the time.  Everyone else is really support cast.   

            The venue for the film is a small village in Columbia, not far from Bogota, which in real life is Moreno's birthplace.  There are scenes shot in the city of Bogota, Columbia and apparently also in Ecuador.  They depict sites of marginal existence and very little luxury.  This is also true inside the Alvarez household, although I suspect the simple clothing, decorations and furnishing were cleaned up for the film.  It didn't quite show us the level of poverty I know exists, but then it's hard for us to accept the real level of existence in third world countries when we see it.

            Moreno, in her early twenties, plays Maria who is seventeen.  Her character is sullen, rebellious and typically angry.  She works in a small local flower processing business with many other girls, making minimum wage.  Maria contributes her money to the mother and sister she lives with, crammed into a small house.  Her sister stays at home with her baby, which aggravates Maria.  Then, Maria discovers she is pregnant.  Her situation and home life set the scene for the storyline.

            It's one thing to read about youngsters used as mules for heroin and another to see it dramatized on the screen.  It's powerful and heart rendering and all the more so because the cinematography is done well and feels so real.  And much of this is due to a screenplay that is put together with attention to dramatic motivation for events and accurate details.  The storyline scenario of problem, rising tension, crisis climax and resolution are incorporated in a very believable way.

            Reviewed December 28, 2004

            MPAA: Rated R for drug content and language.