Maria Full of Grace (2004)

Director:

Joshua Marston

Writer (WGA):

Joshua Marston (written by)

Release Date:

2 April 2004 (Colombia)

Genre:

Drama | Thriller | Crime

Tagline:

How far will she go before she's gone too far?

Plot:

A pregnant Colombian teenager becomes a drug mule to make some desperately needed money for her family.

Plot Keywords:

X Ray | Pregnancy | Stomach | Shower | Fever

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 30 wins & 22 nominations

Cast

Catalina Sandino Moreno	...	María Álvarez
Virgina Ariza	...	Juana
Yenny Paola Vega	...	Blanca
Rodrigo Sánchez Borhorquez	...	Supervisor
Charles Albert Patiño	...	Felipe
Wilson Guerrero	...	Juan
Johanna Andrea Mora	...	Diana Álvarez
Fabricio Suarez	...	Pacho
Mateo Suarez	...	Pacho
Evangelina Morales	...	Rosita
Juana Guarderas	...	Female Pharmacist
John Álex Toro	...	Franklin (as Jhon Alex Toro)
Jaime Osorio Gómez	...	Javier (as Jaime Osorio Gomez)
Guilied Lopez	...	Lucy Díaz
Victor Macias	...	Pellet Maker

Also Known As:

Maria Full of Grace (International: English title)
Maria, llena eres de gracia (Colombia)

MPAA:

Rated R for drug content and language.

Runtime:

101 min

Country:

USA | Colombia

Language:

Spanish | English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Iceland:14 | Canada:14A (Ontario) | Iceland:16 (video rating) | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Brazil:14 | Chile:14 | Finland:K-11 | France:U | Germany:12 | Ireland:15A | Mexico:B15 | Netherlands:12 | Norway:11 | Portugal:M/16 | Singapore:NC-16 | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Zurich) | UK:15 | USA:R (certificate #40648)

Filming Locations:

Amaguaña, Ecuador

Company:

HBO Films

Trivia:

Catalina Sandino Moreno became the first actress ever to be nominated to Best Actress at the Oscars for a role that it is spoken entirely in Spanish.

Goofs:

Continuity: After Maria gives Don Fernando the money for Lucy's family, she takes her wallet out twice.

Quotes:

María Álvarez: How many time have you done this?
Rosita: Twice.

Movie Connections:

Featured in 11th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards (2005) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Por el Amor a Mi Madre

A beautiful film.

It upsets me when I see a well-crafted film like this getting mediocre ratings (even if it is a "weighted average" on IMDb). As I write this most people who have voted have given Maria Full of Grace a "7" or higher. I was so engrossed by Maria's story and the acting that went into it that, at times, I felt as if I was watching a documentary. (I also had that feeling watching "City of God"). The Audience Award at Sundance was obviously well deserved. Catalina Sandino Moreno (Maria) gives the type of performance that should make a lot of directors take note. And the story itself makes you to pause to consider the reasons why some people are involved in the drug trade. See this film!