There was a moment when I thought I would not actually get to see this heartwarming tale of a ladies stuffing her belly with 62 pellets of cocaine and her adventures in that there Noo Yoick.Part of me thought the whole thing would be all too depressing to will myself into seeing. No that said, I am well known for tolerating and even liking depressing films: so this is the level of depression I thought I would get from Maria Full of Grace. Perhaps it was due to this expectation I walked out with a jaunty optimistic step.
It was probably more due to the gently hopeful spin the director felt necessary to peg on Maria herself. Remember kids, just cos life is depressing, there is no need to be depressed.
Formulaic and documentary in all the right ways, MFOG(D) finally cheers because of its spunky lead. Sure she ends up homeless and pregnant in New York. But with a determined jut of her jaw. Was it a correct Oscar nomination? Only if she actually swallowed any of those suppository sized pellets. In many ways the better acting is from her cowardly, unattractive country-hick friend, who wheedles and whines through the film in a remarkably unsympathetic role. So here is to Yenny Paola Vega, who will almost certainly never be in another film again*, for giving Maria Full Of Grace (Drugs) a much more interesting counterpoint character than I assumed, and thus the hopeful ending consisting of Maria getting away from moany Blanca.
*Considering the Oscar nominated Catalina Sandino Moreno hasn’t had any other acting work how much luck do you think her fat mate from the film will get.