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philthepill.online · @philthepill.online@bridge.neodb.net

Rated Maria Full of Grace 8/10

This review may contain spoilers. I first watched this one during the wave of 2005 Oscar hype. I remember seeing it with my mother. And I had history with my Colombian heritage - I had lived two years there, surrounded by salsa music and the almost musical accent my people have. There's something interesting about growing up where you finally latch onto some things as part of your identity. Watching Maria Full of Grace now that I have a deeper understanding of what Colombia is like - and the global forces that marginalize the citizens of one of the most resource-plenty nations in South America - was like watching it with completely different eyes. It makes me sad that the resolution to Maria's struggle is to leave her home behind and to give her child "opportunity" by making them the citizen of another country. It's what my parents did for me and what parents have been doing for generations. And I don't want to engage in false nostalgia for a timeline that never was and that would have been equally complicated. But there's a beauty to the places your ancestors leave behind all the same. And a struggle, a compromise, a nightmare to transition from one reality to another. It turns out that this movie means a lot to me. Apparently, if I want to see more of Catalina Sandino Moreno, I could catch her in Ballerina.

#movie

Published 2026-06-04 00:00 UTC · bridged from Atmosphere