Powerful and engrossing

rosscinema

This is one of those gritty and realistic dramas that reminds someone like myself why I love films so much even after sitting through mostly mediocre Hollywood efforts. In my perfect world a film such as this would be considered the norm but in the shallow times that we live in this is a rare treat that shows viewers a world that doesn't get shown in a realistic light. Story is about a young pretty Columbian girl named Maria (Catalina Sandino Moreno) who quits her boring job at the flower factory and also learns that her boyfriend Juan (Wilson Guerrero) has gotten her pregnant. Maria doesn't want to get married and while attempting to look for another job in Bogota she gets offered the opportunity to be a drug courier. She accepts and learns that she must swallow vials of cocaine and keep them in her stomach until she gets to New York City.

*****SPOILER ALERT*****

Her friend Blanca (Yenny Paola Vega) also gets the same job but Maria makes friends with Lucy (Guilied Lopez) who shows her the ropes and tells her about visiting her sister while in America. They arrive in the States and after some difficulty with Customs they are picked up and brought to a motel until the vials pass through their system. Lucy gets sick after a vial breaks open inside her and during the night she dies and her body is dragged out to be disposed of which prompts Maria and Blanca to flee. They decide to find Lucy's sister Carla (Patricia Rae) and they stay with her but don't mention that her sister is dead.

This film is written and directed by Joshua Marston who makes his debut and it's a very impressive one in that his script doesn't apologize for the actions of it's characters but instead wants to show to what measures these people from these poor countries will take to try and better themselves and their family. I personally don't recall a film that shows how these "Mules" bring drugs into this country and one cannot help but be fascinated and at the same time appalled by the scenes where these young girls learn how to swallow over 20 vials at a time. These are truly riveting moments to watch in this intriguing film and at the core is a career making performance by Moreno. This is her first film and was discovered by Marston during an audition and she definitely has a strong screen presence and seems to have a natural persona about her that translates well, especially in this film where her character is supposed to be naive about what she's doing. Like "Dirty Pretty Things" this is a look at a culture that we really never see in films and Marston presents his story in a gritty and realistic manner and with the strong performance by newcomer Moreno this is powerful film to watch.

score 8/10

rosscinema 16 August 2004

Reprint: https://www.imdb.com/review/rw0935467/