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By
DEBORAH NICOL
At what point does the
monotony and degradation of your life lead you to
seek another one, with the risk of losing both
entirely? When all that is available is a
mind-numbing line job with no room for respect,
and all money earned goes towards a family that
contributes nothing, desperation opens new doors.
The mere idea of a fresh future provides an
anesthetic for the painful process toward
receiving that new key.
First-time American director Joshua Marston is
intrigued by immigration stories, especially as to
why someone would leave their native homeland for
a great unknown. In writing this film, he focuses
on the drug mule trade of Columbia -- an extremely
risky border crossing even if one makes it to the
other side. Using their bodies as deterrents
against drug sniffing dogs, women fill their
stomachs with pellets of heroin and pray that none
of them break, since the heroin will kill them. If
they are caught they risk years in jail, and if
they fail to produce all of the pellets their
families will be harmed and they will not receive
the money promised for the suicide trip.
Impressive newcomer Catalina Sandino Moreno
portrays the title character, driven to boredom
and frustration and yearning for something outside
the walls of her small town. When the opportunity
presents itself, she is hesitant but sees the
relatively fast cash as an escape from a life
that's a facsimile of every other girl's life in
her town. Moreno plays her character with a
natural ease and allows Maria to merit respect for
her desire to leave and become independent.
Marston provides a straight-forward story with no
unnecessary extremes, except those that life
provides. Maria's surroundings are not total
squalor and she is not harshly abused at work.
There is, however, little room for leeway in what
job opportunities are available, and though her
job appears clean and organized there are implied
health hazards and stress. Her family situation is
probably less frustrating than that of friends
with larger families, but the weight of monetary
caretaking is still hers to bare.
Martson's story is clean and pure. With each
tentative pause that Maria displays, the audience
is brought into her mind, to consider the
consequences of her actions. A slice of life from
a drug-riddled pie, this film carefully weighs the
price of a new life versus the risk of becoming
just another day-to-day drone watching every peso.
DVD extras include trailers and an interesting
commentary track by the director. |
