"Maria Full of Grace" is a film about a young, slightly rebellious seventeen-year-old Colombian girl, who is tired of working long hours at a rose plantation to earn a living for her family, whom she feels does not deserve her help. When she is offered a job as a drug-smuggling "mule", she gladly accepts, ready for anything new that will get her away.

She prepares herself for the trip to New York City and trains herself to be able to swallow large "pellets" of cocaine. She has been promised an easy, uneventful trip and does not appear too worried until things start to go wrong. First she is almost caught by the police (but they are forced to let her go), then one of the other mules becomes ill, and finally there is a brutal murder in their hotel room.

Throughout all this, she carries herself forward with incredible bravery and tries desperately to get out of the danger of international drug trafficking that she has gotten herself into.

This film won the 2004 Sundance Film Festival Audience Award for "Dramatic Competition", two awards at the 2004 Berlin Film Festival (Best Actress and Best First Film), and the Best Actress award at the Seattle Film Festival '04. It also won 5 awards at the 2004 Cartagena International Film Festival.

In Spanish with English subtitles. Rated R.


Cast

  • Catalina Sandino Morena as MARIA
  • Yenny Paola Vega as BLANCA
  • Guilied Lopez as LUCY
  • Jhon Ales Toro as FRANKLIN
  • Patricia Rae as CARLA
  • Orlando Tobon as DON FERNANDO