I don't see nearly as many films in theaters as I used to. The experience is growing less pleasant and price in Manhattan is now over $10. I can buy many films on DVD's for the same price as admission for the two of us and watch it in the comfort of my home on a terrific home theater system.
Occasionally, however, a film is released that needs support. Such a film is Maria, Full of Grace. The audience at the screening I went to filled the auditorium, but the film is only playing here in New York and Los Angeles. Catalina Sandino Moreno gives a transcendant performance in the title role as a young woman facing a bleak future in her small town in Colombia who agrees to become a drug mule. Her performance is beautifully understated and captures eloquently the quiet strength of Latina women.
The community in the US where Maria arrives is the same community in which I live. One of the major figures in that community is Orlando Tobón who plays a character in the film largely based on himself. My neighborhood is filled with good, decent, honest Colombian exiles. I urge you to see this film to support it and to see another side of Colombia the media too often neglects.
I saw Cidade de Deus the other day. Powerful, beautifully filmed, and terribly disturbing. My 16 year-old son saw it with me. (Does that make me a bad parent?)
It sparked a lively conversation between the two of us on the place of violence in film. Roughly, we have concluded: "There are violent films, and then there are films that glorify violence. The latter are harmful, whereas the former may or may not be." We're still polishing the edges of this position, but we like it so far. ;)
Anyway, your recommendation for Cidade de Deus is a good one. We'll go see "Maria" too.
Posted by: Laurence | July 20, 2004 at 02:59 PM