Official Synopsis
After an accident and a major transformation, an adult film star seeks revenge for all the abuse she suffered.
Review
If you have been hankering for a throwback science-fiction horror film set in the world of pornographic filmmaking, Mar.ia (Argentina, 2023) from codirectors Gabriel Grieco and Nicanor Loreti has what you crave. Alerting viewers right away that Fritz Lang’s silent classic Metropolis is an inspiration, the film finds renowned porn star Maria (Daria Panchenko) making a comeback on a movie set after having mysteriously disappeared from the hospital where she was last seen in a coma after a car crash.
Maria seemingly dies mid-orgasm while shooting the adult movie, and saying much more about the plot would be treading into spoiler territory. Suffice it to say that at this point some extremely sleazy male characters are introduced who are willing to pay top dollar to do highly unnatural things to women no longer alive. There’s also a subplot introduced very early on that involves a man being coerced into remaining deep undercover to get the goods on just such men.
Maria blends female revenge and women’s empowerment themes with violence aplenty and absolutely no shortage of bloodshed and gore in a wild mash-up of social message and exploitation, the latter factor recalling the heyday of 1980s and 1990s direct-to-video features and B-movies. The cast is game, with Malena Sanchez and Sofia Gala Castiglione standing out as two of the adult film’s crew members who try to stand up against the male crew members who want to take the money from the wealthy perverts.
Awash with neon lighting and audaciousness, Mar.ia’s Metropolis nods and social messages are overshadowed by the insanity and violent set pieces, but overall it’s an entertaining effort worth seeking out.
From Black Mandala, Mar.ia is available on VOD and DVD/Blu-ray everywhere as of October 14, 2025.
Mar.ia was previously reviewed for FrightFest Halloween 2023.
