Maria Full of Grace (2004)

Cast includes:
CHARACTER	ACTOR/ACTRESS	RATING
María Alvarez	Catalina Sandino Moreno
Blanca	Yenny Paula Vega
Juan	Wilson Guerrero
Franklin	John Alex Toro	½
Lucy	Guilied Lopez	½
Javier	Jaime Osorio Gómez

Review

Early on in Joshua Martson feature debut Maria Full of Grace, there is a wonderfully written and acted 'girl-tells-boy-she's-pregnant'-scene in which the film delves into its characters and stays on them to get under their skin. It is one of the best of such scenes I've seen in a long time (and young Wilson Guerrero is magnificent), but as the film proceeds it unfortunately loses more and more touch with its characters psychology and motivation. Still, this is a gripping film. It has a level-headed approach to the issue it depicts, and Martson directs with a delightful tempo, allowing himself to be thorough without being tedious. The film delivers the message that no-one is any worse than the other - and I guess in many respects it has a point. But Maria is still a fairly trivial mystery even after her ordeal and suffering. I keep wondering what exactly does she want. She seems like a girl that doesn't want anybody to care for her. Well, maybe I won't.