At first, I had a difficult time choosing between Maria Full of Grace and Intringuilis. But in the end, I decided to go with Maria. Her reason for coming to America was more significant than Carlo’s. Other than being one of the most entertaining movies I have ever seen, Maria Full of Grace was able to send out a powerful message to the audience. The movie successfully showed viewers the severity of consequences from making careless decisions, like Maria had.
Maria was my favorite character in the entire unit. I felt that she was very strong and mature for her age. I loved how she stood up for herself and quit her job. It showed that she had strong dignity and courage. Although I do not agree with her way of trying to earn money for her family, I do understand why she chose to be a drug mule. As an impulsive seventeen year old, Maria was focusing more on the immediate reward rather than the consequences of her actions. She wanted to show her family that she was able to earn money and to her, being a mule was the quickest way to do so. I felt terrible for Maria throughout the entire movie. Supporting her family, dealing with pregnancy and avoiding authorities while exporting drugs should not be among her worries as a teenager. I must say, I give her props for remaining so calm, even when she was held up at the airport by Immigration. I DEFINITELY would not have been able to handle the situation the way she had.
This movie expressed the fact that many people, especially immigrants, deal with insane burdens everyday. Maria Full of Grace was very realistic in showing that many teenagers in poorer countries go to extremes in order to survive. It made all my worries seem insignificant. Maria Full of Grace also gave me a new respect for immigrants. It reminded me that they chose to come to America only for more opportunities to better their lives. In order to support their families, they had to drop everything in their country, move somewhere they were completely unfamiliar with, and start a whole new life, while coping with discrimination. This piece affected me the most because it made me more empathetic towards immigrants.
