Maria, Full of Grace powerfully characterizes a woman spurred to action by fear and determination and the culture that both nurtures and exploits her.
By STEVE PERSALL
Published August 26, 2004
[HBO Films/Fine Line Features]
In Maria Full of Grace, Maria (Catalina Sandino Moreno), a poverty-stricken Colombian woman, is driven into becoming a drug mule.
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The late film critic Gene Siskel often complained that too few movies take time to explore the central characters' jobs. He believed that understanding the occupation a person chooses, and how well or poorly he does it, is vital to understanding that person. On that standard, Siskel would have greatly admired Joshua Marston's film, Maria, Full of Grace.
Maria (Catalina Sandino Moreno) is 17, a citizen of Colombia, supporting her family by bundling roses for export. Her work would be considered a sweat shop tragedy except that it's so common in her society. Each day she has quotas that won't be met if she rests at all. A heartless boss looks over her shoulder, urging her beyond personal problems that might distract her. The pay is meager compared to the pain.
Knowing Maria's situation, it's easy to understand why she's drawn into a new, dangerous occupation as a drug mule, carrying heroin into the United States by swallowing dozens of drug-packed pellets. Getting past airport customs officials is scary, but not nearly as frightening as what could happen if just one of those pellets ruptures inside her body.
Maria, Full of Grace is a laudable debut for Marston, who was born in California and educated at universities in Chicago and New York. Yet his awareness of the subject, sharpened by years of research and translated by others into Spanish, is startling. It's as if the film were made by a Latin American filmmaker, so completely informed and fashioned is it.
Even when the drama shifts to New York, where Maria and several equally desperate women are delivering drugs, the film sees everything through a foreigner's eyes. We glimpse signs for Colombian restaurants and stores and feel a twinge of comfort amid strange surroundings. The language barrier frustrates until a local Little Colombia neighborhood fixer (Orlando Tobon, essentially playing himself) offers assistance. Yet we see how the nationals involved in drug dealing are willing to feed upon their own.
At the center of this tableau is Moreno, a newcomer discovered through auditions. Despite her inexperience, this is one of the better performances of 2004, with its steadily measured arc of character. Maria is initially naive, then steeled by determination to live her own life, then fearful of what may happen if she does. But she's always driven by tragic necessity, a potent hero who we're never certain will come out ahead.
Marston's chief strength, however, is his attention to details that American audiences - and filmmakers, for that matter - rarely care about. He takes time - too much on occasion - to describe the smuggling technique visually. The third act is a bit overloaded with new characters, crises and resolutions, but we're so hooked on Maria's problems that we don't mind much.
Maria, Full of Grace is a solid debut for Marston and Moreno, each honored at film festivals from Sundance to Berlin. Moreno, in fact, tied for best actress honors in Berlin with Charlize Theron's Oscar-winning turn in Monster. That's a mild overstatement by the judges, but it confirms that Moreno's performance should be remembered during the awards season.
Maria, Full of Grace
Grade: A-
Director: Joshua Marston
Cast: Catalina Sandino Moreno, Orlando Tobon, Yenny Paola Vega, Maria Consuelo Perez, Bobby Plasencia
Screenplay: Joshua Marston
Rating: R; strong drug content, profanity, brief violence
