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Oct 2011 20

By Fred Topel

“The conundrum is that part of this is also heritage and culture.”
– Joshua Marston

Joshua Martson’s debut feature film, Maria Full of Grace, managed to be a suspenseful thriller as well as a gripping drama. It introduced the world to Catalina Sandina Moreno as Maria, a desperate Colombian girl who becomes a drug mule, as many do in real life. Her journey to the U.S. is frought with danger from the law, the criminal element and her own body. After Maria, Marston spent seven years directing television episodes. His prolific career included How to Make It In America, In Treatment and Law & Order. At this year’s Toronto International Film Festival, Marston returned to film with the premiere of his second feature.

The Forgiveness of Blood portrays an even more foreign world than South American drug smuggling. In Albania, two families start a blood feud after one father kills the other’s son. Per tradition, the offending family must stay at home permanently. If the other family sees them out, they vow to kill anyone for retribution. Only one daughter is given a pass to work and bring home supplies. The subject provoked an interesting discussion with Marston in a Toronto hotel room. Even a simple inquiry probably couldn’t help coming across as an accusation and Marston took an objective position, seeing both sides. Forgiveness of Blood opens next year.

Read our exclusive interview with Joshua Marston on SuicideGirls.com.