Maria Full of Grace

Maria Full of Grace follows María Álvarez, a seventeen-year-old living in a small town north of Bogotá. She works on a large rose plantation preparing flowers for export, and her weekends are spent dancing with her boyfriend, Juan. When she leaves the job and travels to Bogotá, her family does not know she is pregnant. On the way she meets an acquaintance who describes the money to be made as a drug courier, and he persuades her and her friend Blanca to join the operation. The two women board a flight to the United States carrying pellets of heroin inside their bodies.

The film was written and directed by Joshua Marston and was his first feature, followed by New York, I Love You, Complete Unknown and Come Sunday. Catalina Sandino Moreno plays María, with Yenny Paola Vega as Blanca and Guilied Lopez as Lucy Díaz. Paul S. Mezey and Jaime Osorio Gómez produced the Colombian, American and Ecuadorian co-production.

Made for about 3 million dollars, the film took roughly 12 million dollars worldwide, a strong return on its budget. On IMDb it holds 7.4 from more than 35,000 votes, while on TMDB it sits at 7.2 from a much smaller number of votes. Critics gave it 8 out of 10 across 145 reviews, placing it above both audience scores.