Maria Full of Grace

Maria Full of Grace
215px Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Joshua Marston
Produced by	Paul S. Mezey
Written by	Joshua Marston
Starring	Catalina Sandino Moreno Yenny Paola Vega John Álex Toro Guilied Lopez Patricia Rae
Music by	Leonardo Heiblum Jacobo Lieberman
Cinematography	Jim Denault
Edited by	Anne McCabe Lee Percy
Production company	HBO Films Journeyman Pictures
Distributed by	Fine Line Features
Release dates	18 January 2004 (2004-01-18)
Running time	101 minutes
Country	Colombia United States
Language	Spanish
Budget	$3 million
Box office	$12,594,630

Maria Full of Grace (Spanish title: María, llena eres de gracia, lit. "Maria, you are full of grace") is a 2004 drama film written and directed by Joshua Marston. The film was produced between Colombia and the United States. Lead actress Catalina Sandino Moreno was named Best Actress at the Berlin Film Festival and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress in the 77th Academy Awards.

Plot

Seventeen-year-old Colombian girl María Álvarez works in sweat shop-like conditions at a flower plantation. Her income helps support her family, including an unemployed sister who is a single mother, but after unjust treatment from her boss, she quits her job de-thorning roses despite her family's vehement disapproval. Shortly thereafter, María discovers she is pregnant by her boyfriend, and he suggests marriage, but she declines because she does not feel she loves him, or that he loves her. On her way to Bogotá to find a new job, she is offered a position as a drug mule. Desperate, she accepts the risky offer, and swallows 62 wrapped pellets of drugs and flies to New York City with her friend Blanca, who has also been recruited as a drug mule.

María is almost caught by U.S. customs who are suspicious after finding María's $800 in cash and wanting to make a surprise visit to a sister she "hasn't seen in years," but not knowing anywhere else to go if she isn't home. She tells them that the father of her child paid for her plane ticket. She avoids being X-rayed due to her pregnancy, and is released. The traffickers collect María, Blanca and Lucy, another more experienced mule that Maria had befriended during her recruitment. The mules are held in a motel room until they pass all the drug pellets. Lucy falls ill when a drug pellet apparently ruptures inside her. Unknown to the traffickers, María witnesses them carrying Lucy out of the hotel room, and she sees blood stains in the bathtub. She comes to the conclusion that the traffickers cut her open to retrieve the other drug pellets inside her body. Scared, María convinces Blanca to escape with her while the traffickers are gone. They leave with the drugs they have passed.

María has nowhere to sleep and goes to Lucy's sister's house but doesn't reveal to the sister that Lucy is dead. Blanca soon joins her there. Eventually the sister unexpectedly hears of their involvement in her sister's death and throws them out. Blanca and María make an agreement to return the drugs to the traffickers and receive their money. María uses some of her drug money to send Lucy's body home to Colombia for a proper burial. María and Blanca are ready to board the plane back to Colombia when María decides to stay in the United States, Blanca returns home alone.

Cast

• Catalina Sandino Moreno as María Álvarez
• John Álex Toro as Franklin
• Johanna Andrea Mora as Diana Álvarez
• Virginia Ariza as Juana
• Yenny Paola Vega as Blanca
• Guilied Lopez as Lucy Díaz
• Patricia Rae as Carla
• Rodrigo Sánchez Borhorquez as the supervisor
• Charles Albert Patiño as Felipe
• Wilson Guerrero as Juan
• Fabricio Suarez, Mateo Suarez as Pacho
• Evangelina Morales as Rosita
• Juana Guarderas as a pharmacist
• Jaime Osorio Gómez as Javier
• Victor Macias as Pellet maker

Reception

The film was critically acclaimed amongst critics garnering a 97% approval rating on the aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes. Its total worldwide gross stands at $12,594,630 ($6,529,624 at the American box office and $6,065,006 from other territories). Sandino was praised for her performance and received multiple nominations for best leading actress including at the Academy Awards as well as the Screen Actors Guild Awards.

See also

• Movies depicting Colombia
• List of Colombian films
• Balloon swallowing

External links

• Official website
• Maria Full of Grace at IMDb
• Maria Full of Grace at AllMovie
• Maria Full of Grace at Box Office Mojo
• Maria Full of Grace at Rotten Tomatoes
• Maria Full of Grace at Metacritic