Maria Full of Grace
Encyclopedia
Maria Full of Grace is a 2004 joint Colombian-American film
, written and directed by Joshua Marston
, who won the Independent Spirit Award for Best First Screenplay
. Although the movie depicts rural life in Colombia, it was actually filmed in Ecuador
. The title is a triple-entendre: a reference to Mary
, the Roman Catholic figure; "grace" is a slang name for heroin; and "grace" could also be the name of the baby.
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
.
n girl María Álvarez (Catalina Sandino Moreno
) 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.
María becomes pregnant
by a man she does not love. After unjust treatment from her boss she quits work despite her family's vehement disapproval. 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 heroin and flies to New York City
with her immature friend Blanca.
María is almost caught by US customs who are suspicious of her movements. She avoids being X-ray
ed due to her pregnancy, and they ultimately believe her story that the father of her child paid for her air ticket. The traffickers collect María and several other mules. The mules are held hostage in a motel room until they pass all the drug pelletts. Fellow mule Lucy falls ill when a drug pellet apparently ruptures inside her. The traffickers cut her open to retrieve the drug pellets. María convinces Blanca to escape with her when the traffickers leave to dump Lucy's body. They abscond 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 finds out and throws them out. Blanca and María 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
. They are about to board the plane back to Colombia when María decides to stay in the United States. Blanca returns home.
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
, written and directed by Joshua Marston
Joshua Marston
Joshua Jacob Marston is an American screenwriter and film director best known for the film Maria Full of Grace.Born in California, he graduated from Beverly Hills High School. Marston worked in Paris as an intern for Life, then for ABC News during the Gulf War...
, who won the Independent Spirit Award for Best First Screenplay
Independent Spirit Award for Best First Screenplay
The Independent Spirit Award for Best First Screenplay is one of the annual awards given by Film Independent, a non-profit organization dedicated to independent film and independent filmmakers.-1990s:1994*David O...
. Although the movie depicts rural life in Colombia, it was actually filmed in Ecuador
Ecuador
Ecuador , officially the Republic of Ecuador is a representative democratic republic in South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean to the west. It is one of only two countries in South America, along with Chile, that do not have a border...
. The title is a triple-entendre: a reference to Mary
Blessed Virgin Mary (Roman Catholic)
Roman Catholic veneration of the Blessed Virgin Mary is based on Holy Scripture: In the fullness of time, God sent his son, born of a virgin. The mystery of the incarnation of the Son of God through Mary thus signifies her honour as Mother of God...
, the Roman Catholic figure; "grace" is a slang name for heroin; and "grace" could also be the name of the baby.
Lead actress Catalina Sandino Moreno
Catalina Sandino Moreno
Catalina Sandino Moreno is a Colombian actress. She was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress for her role in Maria Full of Grace .-Life and career:...
was named Best Actress at the Berlin Film Festival and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress
Academy Award for Best Actress
Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role is one of the Academy Awards of merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance while working within the film industry...
in the 77th Academy Awards
77th Academy Awards
The 77th Academy Awards honored the best films of 2004 and were held on February 27, 2005, at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, California. They were hosted by comedian Chris Rock.The nominees were announced on January 25, 2005...
.
Plot
17-year-old ColombiaColombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
n girl María Álvarez (Catalina Sandino Moreno
Catalina Sandino Moreno
Catalina Sandino Moreno is a Colombian actress. She was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress for her role in Maria Full of Grace .-Life and career:...
) works in sweat shop-like conditions at a flower
Flower
A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants . The biological function of a flower is to effect reproduction, usually by providing a mechanism for the union of sperm with eggs...
plantation
Plantation
A plantation is a long artificially established forest, farm or estate, where crops are grown for sale, often in distant markets rather than for local on-site consumption...
. Her income helps support her family, including an unemployed sister who is a single mother.
María becomes pregnant
Pregnancy
Pregnancy refers to the fertilization and development of one or more offspring, known as a fetus or embryo, in a woman's uterus. In a pregnancy, there can be multiple gestations, as in the case of twins or triplets...
by a man she does not love. After unjust treatment from her boss she quits work despite her family's vehement disapproval. On her way to Bogotá
Bogotá
Bogotá, Distrito Capital , from 1991 to 2000 called Santa Fé de Bogotá, is the capital, and largest city, of Colombia. It is also designated by the national constitution as the capital of the department of Cundinamarca, even though the city of Bogotá now comprises an independent Capital district...
to find a new job, she is offered a position as a drug mule
Mule (smuggling)
A mule or courier is someone who smuggles something with him or her across a national border, including bringing in to and out of an international plane, especially a small amount, transported for a smuggling organization. The organizers employ mules to reduce the risk of getting caught...
. Desperate, she accepts the risky offer, and swallows 62 wrapped pellets of heroin and flies to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
with her immature friend Blanca.
María is almost caught by US customs who are suspicious of her movements. She avoids being X-ray
X-ray
X-radiation is a form of electromagnetic radiation. X-rays have a wavelength in the range of 0.01 to 10 nanometers, corresponding to frequencies in the range 30 petahertz to 30 exahertz and energies in the range 120 eV to 120 keV. They are shorter in wavelength than UV rays and longer than gamma...
ed due to her pregnancy, and they ultimately believe her story that the father of her child paid for her air ticket. The traffickers collect María and several other mules. The mules are held hostage in a motel room until they pass all the drug pelletts. Fellow mule Lucy falls ill when a drug pellet apparently ruptures inside her. The traffickers cut her open to retrieve the drug pellets. María convinces Blanca to escape with her when the traffickers leave to dump Lucy's body. They abscond 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 finds out and throws them out. Blanca and María 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
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
. They are about to board the plane back to Colombia when María decides to stay in the United States. Blanca returns home.
Cast
- Catalina Sandino MorenoCatalina Sandino MorenoCatalina Sandino Moreno is a Colombian actress. She was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress for her role in Maria Full of Grace .-Life and career:...
as María Álvarez - Virginia Ariza as Juana
- Yenny Paola Vega as Blanca
- Patricia Rae as Carla
- Rodrigo Sánchez Borhorquez as the supervisor
- Charles Albert Patiño as Felipe
- Wilson Guerrero as Juan
- Johanna Andrea Mora as Diana Álvarez
- Fabricio Suarez, Mateo Suarez as Pacho
- Evangelina Morales as Rosita
- Juana Guarderas as a pharmacist
- John Álex Toro as Franklin
- Jaime Osorio Gómez (also co-producer) as Javier
- Guilied Lopez as Lucy Díaz
- 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).See also
- Movies depicting Colombia
- List of Colombian films
- Balloon swallowing