The following are movie reviews of "Maria Full of Grace," and "A Cinderella Story." Maria Full of Grace
A young Latin American woman's misguided bid for a better life becomes a dangerous journey of self-discovery in the arresting drama "Maria Full of Grace" (Fine Line).
First-time writer-director Joshua Marston grafts human drama onto what could have been a conventional crime thriller, crafting a film that is emotionally affecting.
Newcomer Catalina Sandino Moreno shines as Maria Alvarez, an independent 17-year-old leading a dead-end existence in rural Colombia, where she lives in a cramped house with four generations of family who depend on her paycheck to survive. Each morning before dawn, she boards a bus that transports her to her low-wage job at a flower-packing plantation where she works stripping thorns from cut roses.
Early on, she discovers she is pregnant. A fight with her supervisor over a bathroom break gets her fired. Behind the financial eight ball, she travels to Bogota, where she is approached by Franklin (Jhon Alex Toro) who seduces her with a lucrative job offer working as a drug "mule" smuggling narcotics into the United States in her digestive tract.
With few other options, Maria puts aside her misgivings and soon finds herself swallowing rubber pellets full of heroin and boarding a plane bound for New York City. But what she thought would be a quick way to earn some cash takes a deadly turn when one of her fellow female mules is killed by the thugs dispatched to retrieve the goods upon arrival.
Maria escapes, along with a friend from back home (Yenny Paola Vega), and takes refuge in a Colombian community. The narrative's focus shifts from the heroin to the "heroine," as Maria's goal switches from self-betterment to survival and ultimately empowerment.
Avoiding any trace of sentimentality, the film effectively conveys the alienation experienced by immigrants. It also paints a compelling portrait of desperation, showing the extremes to which the poor, especially those from Third World countries, will go in order to secure a higher quality of life for themselves and their families.
In spite of the sacred allusions implicit in the film's title, Marston steers clear of any overt religious references, choosing to remain grounded in the gritty here and now. Still, one can glean lessons from the story's moral underpinnings concerning the dignity of the human person and sanctity of the body, which the drug dealers view as disposable shipping containers.
The acting is superb -- especially by Moreno, who exudes both strength and vulnerability. While Maria can be seen as a victim, Marston does not portray her as wholly innocent but as a willing -- albeit naive -- participant in the game.
At its heart, "Maria Full of Grace" is a journey tale, one that not only takes its protagonist from South America to New York, but from youthful irresponsibility to sober maturity.
Shot in a cinema-verite style for stark realism, the film works on many levels, including that of crime drama, social commentary and even quasi-documentary about the ins and outs of the drug-trafficking trade.
The movie contains some disturbing scenes, especially those involving the young women gagging as they down bowls full of marshmallow-sized pellets.
"Maria Full of Grace" is a story about risk and redemption, desperation and determination. And though it wallows in the tragedy of wasted lives, it is ultimately full of humanity, hope and, yes, grace.
Subtitles.
Due to recurring drug content and some disturbing images, as well as rough and crude language, the USCCB Office for Film & Broadcasting classification is A-III -- adults. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is R -- restricted.
A Cinderella Story
A timeless fairy tale gets a contemporary makeover in the light but lackluster teen romantic-comedy "A Cinderella Story" (Warner Bros.).
In the Brothers Grimm version, Cinderella is a poor peasant girl who spends her days slaving away, sweeping dusty floors and clearing cinders from the fireplace.
But in the Brothers Warner version, Cinderella is a tomboyish high school senior named Sam (Hilary Duff), who is stuck at the wrong end of the social ladder and trying to get into Princeton.
Apart from its updated Southern California spin, the basic story pretty much follows the traditional outline. Valley girl Sam is orphaned at a young age and forced into a life of domestic servitude, working her fingers to the bone at her dad's diner which is now run by her wicked, self-absorbed stepmother (Jennifer Coolidge).
When not slinging hash and busing tables, Sam is waiting hand and foot on her two nasty stepsisters (Andrea Avery and Madeline Zima). But though her life looks rather Grimm, she still manages to find time to study for her SATs and chat on the Internet with a "mystery" Prince Charming who turns out to be the school's good-looking and sensitive football hero (Chad Michael Murray).
Gone is the magic pumpkin coach and glass slipper; in their place, luxury convertibles and a dropped cell phone. In lieu of a royal ball, Sam must flee a Halloween dance at the strike of midnight.
There is still a fairy godmother, only in this telling she takes the form of the diner's sassy manager (Regina King), who, in setting Sam on the road to happily-ever-after, dispenses with "Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo" in favor of straight-talking encouragement about the power of positive thinking and believing in oneself.
Still, while jettisoning many of its fantasy elements, the film retains the sweet sense of storybook romance at the heart of the familiar fairy tale.
The storytelling is thin and formulaic and much of the humor is stale. What works in the movie is owed mostly to Duff who fits the glass slipper perfectly, radiating effervescent charm and girl-next-door wholesomeness. The balance of credit goes to Coolidge, who turns in a hilarious performance.
As in most modern wish-fulfillment fantasies, including such recent Cinderella variations as "The Prince & Me," "The Princess Diaries" and "Ella Enchanted," the overriding goal is not in finding Prince Charming, but in achieving self-empowerment.
"A Cinderella Story" is not enchanting, but it is entertaining -- and in that sense one could look at the glass slipper half-full.
Due to some mildly crude language, humor and innuendo, the USCCB Office for Film & Broadcasting classification is A-II -- adults and adolescents. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is PG -- parental guidance suggested.
David DiCerto is on the staff of the Office for Film & Broadcasting of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. |