Maya

One of the worst written films I've ever seen. The characters and plot points are terse bullet points and the direction rushes through them at a breakneck pace. Combined with the awkward and melodramatic dialogue it had us laughing at just how ridiculous it all was. The movie includes countless superfluous scenes and then rushes through those which were actually necessary to make Maya's grooming and indoctrination the slightest bit believable. Consequently, the film's ham-fisted attempts to show the psychological damage and horrors of trafficking end up coming across as comedy. If it weren't for the terrible reality underlying the film's subject matter I'd recommend it as being so-bad-it's-good, but I suspect the only people who could get anything from this movie are the very pimps and abusers it seeks to warn against: They could show it to their victims and claim they weren't being abusive as they aren't as cartoonishly evil as the antagonists in this mess.

Well, I had indeed never even heard about the 2023 thriller "Maya", from writer and director Julia Verdin, as I stumbled upon it here in 2025. But with it being a movie that I hadn't already seen, of course I opted to watch it and give it a fair chance.

Now, the premise of the movie, as presented by the movie's synopsis, definitely sounded interesting. And while the movie did start out nicely enough, it sort of read head-first into a brick wall about halfway through, and sort of went stale. It was a problem with both the pacing of the narrative, but also the fact that the character gallery sort of felt like wet cardboard.

While I was not familiar with a single actor or actress on the cast list, I will say that they had some good performers to play the roles and characters in the movie. The acting performances in the movie were good.

There are far more compelling and gripping movies out there with the theme of sexual trafficking. I am not saying that "Maya" was a bad movie, but it just wasn't particularly outstanding or overly enjoyable.

My rating of writer and director Julia Verdin's 2023 movie "Maya" lands on a four out of ten stars.

Inspired by true events, Maya is a poignant and impactful exploration of the harrowing realities of sex trafficking, wrapped within a compelling narrative of resilience and hope.

Directed with sensitivity and authenticity, the film sheds light on a dark and often overlooked aspect of society while offering a beacon of awareness and empowerment.

In a world plagued by indifference and apathy, this is a film that demands to be seen, discussed, and embraced. By sharing stories of courage and survival, they remind us of our shared humanity and the importance of standing up for those who cannot stand up for themselves.

Maya serves as a powerful reminder of the transformative power of storytelling to ignite empathy and inspire meaningful action.