Piena di grazia

Great movie of precise dialogue, well written and faithful to orthodoxy. As a Catholic I was comforted to see that there are still people capable of doing movies like this. A person like Mary deserves much more but this film will be taxed a worthy tribute. Mary is the best bridge to Our Lord and God Jesus Christ. One of the achievements of the film is to convey to the viewer the greatness of the spirit of Mary. In addition, they play with great consideration issues as important at the time as the opening of the church to non-Jews. The rhythm of the film is deliberately slow. The beauty of the landscape serves as a framework for reflection and dialogue of the characters. All this is leaving its mark on the soul of the viewer who, at the end of the film, feels that something has changed inside. Worth watching!

Some of the 1 starred reviews here are either by atheists or Protestants who have a gut-level revulsion at the name of Mary, which seems pretty insulting to Jesus if you ask me. Their ridiculously low rating does not reflect the caliber of this film, and was just intended to drag down the average rating. While I was tempted to give this a 10 star rating to counteract their biased ratings, I'm more honest then they are. It's not a perfect film. While the film takes a leisurely, artistically filmed approach, which I mostly found very meditative and wonderful, parts of are extremely slow, and I suspect were timed to just match the musical accompaniment. The film is beautifully acted by Bahia Haifi and Noam Jenkins. They really do convey "the peace of God which surpasses all understanding". Few films ever ponder what the experience of Mary was actually like. However, I did wonder at a few aspects. Shouldn't Mary have been living with John? I wished the portrayal of Communion at the end included more of Jesus' words from the Gospels.

Mary has been one of the most debated and beloved individuals God has ever worked through.

In this beautiful work, Mary, the Mother of Christ, nears death as the early Church develops. Peter, while able to proclaim the Gospel loudly and triumphantly among Jews has begun to feel the pressure of leadership as the Church grows beyond the Jewish culture. In the midst of incredibly important decisions, and feeling unqualified, Peter seeks the counsel of Mary as she nears reunion with her Son.

This beautiful and eye opening film offers a unique perspective into Mary's role of Mother within the early Church. Practically every like of this film makes me want to grab a notebook and write word for word quotations. Additionally, special care was taken to ensure an ethnically diverse cast was taken. Moreover, the film is professional and well made unlike many other Christian movies. It's moderate pace encourages a meditative look at Christ's life and the founding of His Church from Mary's perception.

The subtle Catholic undertones through Eucharist, anointing of the sick, and other means take the film to the next level and made me fall in love with it. Even non Catholics would love this movie.

Despite the 1 star reviews from Protestant objectors, this movie does not elevate Mary to divine levels, it merely illustrates her unique and beautiful role within the Early Church. Anyone who likes the Rosary may reflect that this film is like a walking meditative Rosary.

Overall 10/10 loved it and highly recommend it!

I hope none of my comment would be considered a "spoiler". It's not meant to be. It's pretty hard to give a decent review without really talking about the movie content, however.

Most of this movie was beautifully done, portraying the calm confidence of Mary and the struggles within the early church, especially for Peter, being looked to by everyone as the "leader". I felt, however, that it was made wonderfully clear that we are ALL followers, more than leaders, which is a good thing, since Christ is the Head, not any man or woman.

I was pleased with Mary's encouragement to the men, for the most part. She brought them successfully back to the beginning, where it all started. However, I was perturbed by Mary's closing words to the men, which were basically the words of Jesus and more along the lines of Catholicism's beliefs about Mary. That totally conflicted me, unfortunately.

I also wondered about the authenticity of the "communion" for that period of time. Was it really so? I would have imagined a loaf being broken and passed around.

On the whole, this movie was thought provoking and beautifully done, with only the one major disagreement for me, concerning Mary and doctrine around her.

Thanks for the opportunity to comment....

The final days of the Virgin Mary and her conversations with Peter, the founder of the first Catholic Church, are recreated with many slow motion flashbacks. Bahia Haifi has the title role as Mary, and she delivers a subtle and glowing performance. Writer-director Andrew Hyatt is obviously a true believer in the biblical story and origins of Jesus of Nazareth. I can appreciate the aesthetic beauty of Full of Grace without having the beliefs of my personal Catholic upbringing. If Hyatt's mission was to force his audience to at least think of the possibility of redemption through faith, he has succeeded. I would like to share his acceptance of the teachings of the Church, but with my deep and doubting nature, I still do not believe in an after life. Full of Grace will at least cause a conversation on the subject.