The film is well-acted and well-directed. In fact, I may have given this film a 3 star rating perhaps, if it weren't for the fact the film tries to extol itself as a morality piece, when what it really is is a US propaganda film depicting the US as a place where the streets are lined with gold if you work hard & put your mind to it. As any American knows, jobs are not easy to get, rent & utilities are unaffordable for the middle-class, let alone those working below minimum wage and completely unable to speak the language.The film centers on a young women who gets pregnant from casual sex. Rather than marry the father, because he is poor, she decided to earn money by becoming a cocaine mule. Her redemption is staying in the US to forge a new life for her and her child. The film pretends to extol morality by its very title, whereas its main premise is wholly immoral. It's not moral to have casual sex, get pregnant, refuse to marry the child's father just because he's poor, swallow condoms full of cocaine that can burst and kill you & your unborn child at any moment, deny your child the right to be with its rightful father and grandparents. The film pretends this is all OK, as long as the female character stays in this country so her child could have a better life, which in reality as a child of an illegal parent is rarely true. Is this film a Hollywood fairytale; a propaganda film meant to show the US as this thriving country where everyone can make it, even illegal aliens who have no relatives to help them; or is this film used to encourage illegal migration to this country by promising immigrants the streets are lined with gold? All I know is I'm a citizen and my pockets aren't lined with gold.

I am rather surprised by how many good reviews have been posted on this film. I agree that the subject matter is very compelling and important for everyone to know about; but is this a strong film? Not in my opinion.1. Maria's decisions She's a character who is fed up with her shitty boyfriend/boss; she is strong enough to leave them both. Yet she is not strong enough to stand up to her demanding sister every time she is pushed to hand over the little money that she makes? I found this to be incongruous in her character. One could claim that she cares about her family, but then one thinks about the scene near the end in which she recklessly steals the drugs and runs off, which basically means the murder of her mother, sister and sister's baby.In relation to that scene, she made an incredibly stupid/irrational move. Why did she have to take the drugs when she already had the $800 given to her, and wasn't going to get killed since she had already gotten the pills out? What was she even planning to do with them? She didn't have to run away with the drugs in the first place; she could have stayed or left without the drugs, and not put herself/her family in such a hazardous position. This uncalled for reaction strongly lessened my regard for Maria's decision-making/logic in this dangerous situation.Additionally, after she takes the drugs, she ignores her friend Blanca's advice to give back the drugs, then not long after, gives back the drugs. This scene further highlights her shifty decision- making attitude.Maria chooses to lie. She lies a lot in this film, and we see that she makes a big mistake with lying about who she is to Lucy's sister in order to have a place to sleep. That was low of her; she already had enough money to stay someplace for the night, but instead decides to take advantage of the dead girl's sister just to save some of her earnings. The moment in which Fernando, very kindly let her see him a second time without calling the police and tells her to inform Lucy's sister of the death, goes yet again undeserved by Maria as she fails to do this task as well, suddenly too weak to hurt somebody, when she already showed that she would let her family die/friend get lost in the city at nighttime. I agree with Blanca's statement that she's extremely "mentirosa", and I find her selfish as well. The only times she shows herself to be caring are with Lucy/her own baby. It's amazing how easily she can forget about all the other people in her life.2. Unrealistic parts of the film It is not realistic that Maria's family was not killed almost immediately after the drug dealers found out that the drugs were missing. Additionally, it is unbelievable that she and Blanca are not killed after calling the drug dealers and returning the pills, even getting their money back... Really? Plus, she is extremely reckless in the way she even fights with the drug dealer, screaming "Es SU responsibilidad!" In the world of drugs, there is no way Maria could have gotten so much leeway for the actions she took. She totally deserved getting screamed at in the face by the drug dealer. She was acting like she had world-class privileges, even demanding extra money from them. The story, and her life, should have ended there, if we were to be realistic.The scene in which Maria was being screened in the airport was ridiculous. I was in disbelief at how horrible her acting was as a character in that situation. Who would have believed her with her large silences, and then quick, one-word, on-the-spot responses to the policewoman? No further description, laughably unbelievable shows of denial like "No traigo nada"... She made herself extremely suspicious. It was ridiculous that she got out of there.I also found it absurd how she and her friend Blanca just split up after running away. You're in a foreign country, you don't even speak the language, and the best you can do is split up? It shows how annoying stubborn the two characters were, and how terrible their survival skills were, which makes their survival all the less believable.The scenes in which Maria is just wandering around the city - unrealistic. You've just escaped from two drug dealers. Is this the best you can to do avoid getting caught by them?I agree with some other reviewers that it felt like Maria's care for Lucy was forged so that she could have redemption at the end. I didn't see how she could feel so close to Lucy to have paid for her body and to have begun crying when Lucy's sister found out about her death (which was a scene that was very difficult to watch because you see how frustratingly incompetent Maria is - just crying immaturely and saying "Perdón" after all the horrible things she did. She couldn't spit out one thing that would have actually made sense to say in that moment). Additionally, does caring about one person whom she barely knew make her close enough to being a saint, as is alluded to in the title and the image of her in the poster? Not at all for me. Not to mention that the religious imagery and connection was weak in this film, which is disappointing when there is supposedly a pun about religion and drugs in the title itself.There were some interesting aspects to the film, such as the motorcycle/bicycle white/dark comparison, which gives some cultural understanding as to why Maria got easily led into the business. But overall, I think the film could have been done much better with a different actress and a better script.

***Spoiler Alert!!*** "Maria full of Grace"This year for our school's film appreciation class our professor shared the movie Maria full of Grace with us. I really liked this movie and wanted to share my opinion with the public and future audience.I believe that the fact that it portrays such a strong and impacting experience is what makes it so good, and what makes it a movie the people should so they can learn more about what is going around the world.This movie is based on real life experiences and it is most of all developed in New York city and a small town in Colombia. This movie is based on the life of Maria, the main character and a job she chooses to perform due to the circumstances she lives in. The story takes place in a small town located in Colombia and New York City. The story begins in Colombia where the director presents to us Maria's family and the type of life she was living. It develops when Maria is offered a job as a mule and she takes it. The movie climax and ending take place in both the airplane and the united states. Also a very large part of the movie is developed in a small town in Colombia, where Maria and Blanca are from and where their families and friends live. The fact that the characters are from Colombia is really important because it gives a more realistic touch to the movie, since the trafficking of drugs in Colombia is really common. This movie has four main characters; Maria, Carla, Blanca, and Lucy. This characters were portrayed by Catalina Sandino, Patricia Rae, Yenny Paola Vega, and Guilied Lopez. Catalina Sandino portrays the character of Mari, she did a really good job and this is what got her nominated to the academy award for best actress. She was born on April 19, 1981 as a Colombian actress, and has portrayed many other roles. Catalina Sandino works really well as a serious actress and portrays really well the role of Maria since it is a role that need an actress with a very strong personality and that it is able to make it seem real and personal at the same time. Blanca is the second main character on the story, she portrays the role of Maria's best friend, and does also a very good job since she is able to make us feel how pressured she is feeling because everyone thought she was not able to accomplish the job. I really thinks this is a really good movie, and it makes me very proud it is from Latin American movie production companies and not from Hollywood. I really liked the fact that the movie is based on true events, and that the entire movie cast was able to do such a good job and made everything seem so real. I really liked all the plane seen, since it was so real, and that discrimination that was portrayed on the USA airplane really happens with central and Latin American people. And it shows how both Maria and all the other girls were so not educated they did not know what the police was doing was against their own rights. I think this is a movie that shows real life consequences of dealing with drugs and with that kind of people. I think that the biggest moral presented on the movie is that we should never take the easy way that you should always work hard for what you want. And you should never get involved with drugs and those deal cause even though you think you can manage it you cant. It makes the audience realize that it goes way back than what you think, and that you will always have a bad outcome even though they try to trick into the idea that you wont.I believe that most of all teenagers will like this movie. I also think it is the type of audience it is made for because of the fact that Maria is a teenager and is experiencing what a lot of kids go through and some times the pressure they feel to provide for their families. So this kids should be the ones watching the movie so they are able to see that there is always another way out, and that you should try everything before involving yourself in drug trafficking. I think this movie should be PG-15 since it has some very graphic scenes kids younger that 14 years old should not see.I honestly would give this movie from 1 to 10 a 9 since it was very well done and explained its theme really well. The reason I do not give it a 10 is because of the fact that I felt that some scenes were very like unreal and people normally would never do some of the things they did. My name is Ana Julia, I attend Lincoln School at Costa Rica. I am finishing 10th grade, I do not play many sports I am more into watching movies and analyzing them.

Had to watch this for my women studies class. Why, i don't really know, as it doesn't have much to do with gender issues. Anyway, I can't explain the great reviews. Yes, like most people in the third world she lives below the poverty line. Her life is more boring than a struggle. No wonder she wants to escape. However, it's not really an interesting story line. Yes, drug traffic is dangerous, Lucy dies, but otherwise its pretty mundane. No real character development nothing. while we are on that subject, if you hire no names off the street you aren't going to be able to develop interesting characters. There is a reason movies are supposed to include real actors Nuff said