There's not a moment in this movie that I found out of line or unrealistic. It makes you ask yourself "what would I do if this were my situation?" It is a perfectly normal portrait of how the other half has to live. The film has a slow desperation about it, without the usual modern artifacts like music or camera tricks. The desperation occurs from the story itself- how about that for a concept. The actors are tremendous in showing restraint and it pays off. The exchanges between the sisters are heartbreaking and frustrating and, again, believable. The scene in which a minor character dies could have been savagely shown, but instead only the aftermath was shown and described. It somehow makes what happened only that much more savage in our imaginations.
Review of Maria Full of Grace
