Maria Full of Grace

Great movie, carried by a fantastic performance by Catalina Sandino Moreno, who I'd only seen in one other short, but am already a fan of. She plays her character perfectly, with the right amount of guts and naivete, strength and weakness. The situation portrayed is done very realistically, and nothing here is glorified, not even the main character really. There's no directorial tricks here to heighten the tension or drama, because theres no need.The story itself is dramatic and real enough.

Intense and blunt. "Maria Full of Grace" plays out in a straight forward, matter of fact way. With purely diegetic sound until the very end, the film feels very real; it feels as if you're truly watching a teenage girl struggle with the choices in her life. It's harsh and non-manipulative; it doesn't tug at heart strings but rather presents the story as it is with no need for embellishment. The performances are understated and natural. I'm running out of ways to say this story feels natural!

maria is full of promise, but lacks the delivery. Marston seems to have somewhat mellowed out an otherwise harrowing story to something more accessible. Moreno does indeed shine, but i'm not sure it's worth an oscar nod. overtly undramatic, "maria full of grace" feels like a wasted potential.

Although I couldn't relate to the decisions that the female protagonist made in this movie, I think that the actress's performance was really good. The story was really interesting, however a little bit predictable.

It's one of those movies that really speaks to the "Be grateful for what you have" view (even though it really annoys me when people say that). To think that things like this could actually go on is pretty sad. This is the side of drugs that movies like "Blow" don't show you.

A good movie but I doubt it'll stick with me long.

I recommend this to anyone who has never before seen a tastefully directed drama.

Basically, this is just a coldly depressing film.

Realistic and sad. Catalina Sandino Moreno's performance is amazing. Great debut.

This movie is effective at what it wants to do. The plane scenes especially were excruciating.

It doesn't quite have that x factor that sets it apart from other naturalistic dramas, but it's a powerful migration story nonetheless.

A sober (and sobering) portrait of sad desperation, presented in a straightforward, unadorned way that only heightens the incredible dramatic tension, especially during an excruciating plane ride. Loses its way in the third act, petering out to vague generalisations, both literally and thematically (the conflict with Lucy’s family feels underdeveloped and lacking resonance). Moreno’s strong performance ultimately ties the film together – with a better landing, this could have been great.

Reeks of indie-film, and should have stayed there. Not really impressed with this film's attempt to make us sympathise with those poor, helpless, abused female drug-runners in Columbia.

Unexpectedly dull, although there's nothing outright bad about it or anything. I really thought I'd like this one.

Harsh, but well-acted.

This movie is just, in a word: real. There's nothing much else to say about it.

Outstanding drama about a young Colombian woman caught up in the world of drug trafficking.

This is a cold film that really doesn't offer much sympathy to its audience. You're along for the ride and you better get ready to suck it up. Amazing performances and a gut twisting air plane segment make this one worthy of your time.

Based on a true story about a pregnant Colombian teenager who becomes a drug mule to make some desperately needed money for her family. Oh so sad. ;(

Very thought provoking and definitely an important film that should be seen. Recommended.

trying to jump the widening gap between rich and poor.

Well-made and disturbing.

Really good film with a really good performance.

Fantastic film with a superb lead performance.

Utterly gripping film, with the ring of truth behind it. The lead, who is unfamiliar to me, was absolutely luminous; I simply couldn't look away when she was on the screen. Great stuff.

86.000

Really something I did like to watch.

ger; [Maria voll der Gnade]; eine kolumbianerin schmeisst ihren alten job und versucht sich als drogenkurier mit magenkapseln

Oh god. So many tense moments.

Although actress playing a role of the main heroine wasn't always perfect, the whole movie is definitely worth seeing. It's sad, but not overly dramatic. There are not many long dialogues, but somehow it fits the mood perfectly.

kolombiya, issiz kiz, çiçek fabrikasi, hamile kiz, uyusturucu kuryesi, new york, uyusturucu mafyasi (Çiçek fabrikasinda calisan kiz, hayatindan memnun degildir. Patronuyla nalsamayan kiz, isten ayrilir. Bu arada hamile oldugunu fark eder. Erkek arkadasinin ona destek olmadigini görünce ondan da ayrilir. Bir gece partisinde calistigi Franklin ona bir is teklif eder. Kolombiya'dan New york'a uyustucu tasiyacaktir. SÜRÜKLEYİCİ DEGİL. )

This, at its heart, is a movie about humanity, choice, and consequence. Truly worth watching.

Nice breakthrough performance for Moreno. Nothing else too special here, but it definitely held my attention and is an interesting picture of the Colombian drug industry.

I was expecting to be beaten over the head with the "DRUGS ARE EVIL" message (like the horrible Requiem for a Dream) but it wasn't like that at all. Harrowing at times, but also hopeful. A very well-done, well-balanced understated film

Overall Enjoyment: 25/40, Plot/Themes: 15/20, Cinematography/Direction: 10/20, Acting/Writing: 10/20

Marston hat einen Film gemacht, der die Armut der Menschen versteht, ohne aber der Versuchung erliegen, sie zu romantisieren. Er zeigt auf, das die "bösen" Dinge entstehen durch das System der Ökonomie - nicht weil sie von "Bösewichtern" verantwortet werden... die ganze Rezension auf cinegeek.de

Moreno is great ... very well done.

Lost it's direction 2/3 of the way through. Sort've disspointing since it had so much potential to be a truly great film.

"From one part of the world to another, Maria Full of Grace swirls with movement and stirs us with its torrents of feeling." - Jay Antani

Catalina Sandino Moreno gives an amazing performance in this film. The rest of the cast does a good job but this is really Moreno's film. The script is really well written, there are a lot of good scenes. I would highly recommend this film.

It's mostly accurate and made with enough skill to pass the mark but, speaking as a Colombian, it feels almost like a cliched after school special.

88.500

Painful (in a great way).

Film follows young Columbian girl who needs to take life decisive steps of his young life. This movie was also a debut achievement in cinema world for the director, few crew members and for many actors. When so many amateurs were involved, the end result is really excellent.

Hail Mary!

- worth experiencing :: This wasn't a bad movie, but it wasn't a great one either. It should have been more like the subject matter itself. Scary. Dangerous. Tense. Exciting. It was barely any of those things ...although one scene came close.

So much hype for the lead actress in this movie and she was never heard from again IIRC. Sigh, interesting drama though.

A truly eye-opening and disturbing series of events with more suspense than most action films.