MOVIE - MARIA FULL OF GRACE - Review Rating $$$$$ $$$1/2 (OUT OF 10)
STARRING - Catalina Sandino Moreno (Maria), Yenny Paola Vega (Blanca),
Giulied Lopez (Lucy), John Alex Toro (Franklin), Patricia Rae (Carla) & Wilson Guerrero (Juan).
DIRECTOR/WRITER - Joshua Marston
America is often referred to as the "land of opportunity". Opportunity fuels desire. Those that have opportunities often waste them on desires of the self-indulgent variety. Those who don't have opportunities, and wish they did, often find themselves enslaved in the service of those who do and to their own desires for upward mobility.
Maria Full of Grace, without an ounce of sentimantality or undue glorification, puts a very human face on the drug mules who facilitate the cocaine trade. In so doing, it artfully makes the point that excessive disparity in the number of economic opportunities, between the have's and the have not's, helps to make the trade in illicit dugs both possible and profitable.
The war on drugs will never be successful unless the root causes of the problem are addressed in a meaningful way. America, which champions and exports its "dreams", on a global basis, must assume some responsibility for those who adopt these values but have no legitimate means to achieve them. Failure to do so only perpetuates the vicious cycle of exploitation that ensnares the givers and receivers of the drug world.
The Maria's of the world are, sadly, a dime a dozen. Candidates for exploitation, many will be arrested and more will endure less glamourous fates. But, they'll keep on coming if attitudes and policies don't change.
Maria Full of Grace attempts to explain, but not excuse, why many choose to be drug mules. In putting a face on the villified it seeks to shake up your preconceptions. It's a worthy cause and a film worthy of seeing.
Running time - 109 minutes
Alternative Reviews:
Roger Ebert's Review
Peter Travers / Rolling Stone Review
Rotten Tomatoes Reviews
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2005
David Schwartz.
Last update:
2/28/05; 1:50:30 AM.
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