Maria Full of Grace

Joshua Marston was extraordinary in his movie debut as director in the film Maria Full of Grace. It was very impressive because nothing seemed to deter him from displaying many serious and important issues going on all over the world. This particular film dealt with many political, immigration, anti-feminist and cultural issues and that is just to name a few. What really interested me the most about this film is that it is a movie about survival and the various struggles people must confront. His realistic portrayal of the drug trade, which includes humans as mules as a way of trafficking drugs to the United States, and his obvious insinuation of how much more needs to be done with the so called “war on drugs” was amazing.
The title of Maria Full of Grace may be somewhat contradictory as the film develops after time. Catalina Sandino Moreno, who plays the protagonist role named Maria may be considered graceful at first but after she is put in difficult circumstances was she really considered full of grace? Instead, the title of the film should have been Maria Full of Disgrace. Moreno’s role was that of a woman who smuggles heroin pellets, which she swallows and later on releases them from her body system, in order to gain a profit. This to me is not really considered graceful but disgraceful. Maria had to deal with many responsibilities since early on, and now she had to deal with overwhelming family problems, labor problems, as well personal problems, such as her pregnancy. When Maria was given the opportunity to make some fast money, what she thought to be a large quantity when in fact it was not, she was put in dangerous risks that jeopardize her life.
During the course of the film, Marston incorporated anti-feminist stances. Male chauvinism or “machismo” is a term used to describe the belief that men are superior to women. The term “machismo” dates back since the early decades in the twentieth century. The director applied “machismo” in the film when