This debut feature film by Joshua Marston tells the suspenseful and absorbing story of Maria, a poor, pregnant Columbian teenager (Catalina Sandina Moreno) with a soul-crushing job... more
This review already contains more than 120 words. As a Ciao member you could earn up to £5 with this review.
MARIA FULL OF GRACE
Desperate to escape from her banal life in rural Colombia, seventeen year old Maria
... more
Alvarez accepts a job of transporting heroin into the United States. Things soon spiral out of control, however, as she finds herself caught up with both drug lords and...
Production Year: 2001 - Drama - Director: Phil Alden Robinson, Richard Loncraine, Mikael Salomon, David Nutter, Tom Hanks, David Leland, David Frankel, Tony To - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over
Advantages: well acted and interesting topic matter Disadvantages: ending is very open
First Impressions
This is a film that I wanted to watch for ages but it took me a really long time to get round to it. When I did it was well worth it and I would thoroughly recommend this film to anyone who is not daunted by subtitles or big issues. Summary
María Álvarez (Catalina Sandino Moreno) is a poor girl living in Columbia she has a job taking the thorns off roses in a local factory. Her mother and sister take her for granted and expect ... ...buy medicine for her sister's baby. When she becomes pregnant she panics realising that she does not love, or want to marry her boyfriend. To try and escape her lot she takes on a risky and dangerous job smuggling drugs into America. And this is where the summary stops because I don't want to spoil it, but let me tell you that this is when it starts to get really interesting. This movie is based on 100s of true stories which the director Joshua Marston ...
Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Advantages: Realistic, not overly sentimental Disadvantages: Gruesome and sad at times
...film to watch. The perils Maria has to face are all too realistic, and the potential pitfalls e.g. internal poisoning, incarceration, and mafioso, are all depicted in an accurate manner with emphasis on suspense. The acting, particularly from the lead, Catalina Sandina Moreno, is absolutely flawless, and Maria's courage, naivety and, ultimately, strong sense of morality make for a deeply affecting portrayal. ...
Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average somewhat helpful
Actor(s): Catalina Sandino Moreno, Virginia Ariza, Johanna Andrea Mora, Wilson Guerrero
Director(s): Joshua Marston
Genre: Drama
Classification: 12 years and over
Production Year: 2004
Running Time: 1 hour 41 minutes
Video Category: World Cinema Feature Film
Country Of Origin: Colombia
Plot: Desperate to escape from her banal life in rural Colombia, seventeen year old Maria Alvarez accepts a job of transporting heroin into the United States. Things soon spiral out of control, however, as she finds herself caught up with both drug lords and immigration officials...
Release details
DVD Region: Region 2 (Europe)
Studio(s): Icon Home Entertainment; Warner Home Video
Release date: 22/08/2005
No of Discs: 1
Catalogue No: D 088370
Barcode: 7321900883702
Producer: Paul S. Mezey
Languages
Main Language: Spanish
Subtitle Language: English
Technical information
Aspect Ratio: 1.85 Wide Screen
Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1
Dubbing Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1 Spanish
DVD Description
This debut feature film by Joshua Marston tells the suspenseful and absorbing story of Maria, a poor, pregnant Columbian teenager (Catalina Sandina Moreno) with a soul-crushing job at a flower plantation and a rebellious streak. Her multigenerational, all-female family relies too much on her as the principle breadwinner, squandering her earnings on medicines of questionable value for her sister's baby. This drives Maria to quit, dump her immature boyfriend, and go to Bogota where she tumbles into work as a drug mule. Like thousands of real-life Columbians, she earns money by flying to New York City with up to a kilogram of tightly wrapped heroin pellets in her stomach, risking prison or worse: instant death should even one of the pellets break open inside her. Marston based the film on actual interviews with airport customs agents and former mules; the result is an authentic, intensely cinematic experience. The camera wrings vivid colour and mood from the many on-location settings and doesn't shy away from any aspect of Maria's journey, making this succeed as a suspense film, character study, and detailed examination of a rarely seen aspect of the drug wars. Thanks to the superb performance and charisma of lead actress Moreno--in her film debut--the audience stays riveted to her plight every step of the way. MARIA FULL OF GRACE made its debut at Sundance where it won the Audience Drama Award.
Professional reviews
Review: Astonishing. (Arena, )
A triumphant performance by Cataline Sandino Moreno (Entertainment Weekly, )
Stunning...a powerhouse film (Rolling Stone, )
Mesmerising. (The Mirror, )
Riveting. (Total Film, )
Ciao
Listed on Ciao since : 06/01/2006
Compare Maria Full Of Grace DVD to other similar Drama
![Maria Full Of Grace [2004]](http://picnic.ciao.com/uk/66788062.jpg)
This product has not yet been reviewed. 
