2004, USA/Columbia
Adventure, Crime, Drama
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, as 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.
Marston'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.