Along with her comparatively homely best friend Blanca (Yenny Paola Vega), Maria agrees to become a "mule." This means she swallows pellets of narcotics and boards a flight to New York, where the pellets will pass. The job is lucrative, but very dangerous. In fact, another mule on the trip, Rosita (Evangelina Morales) becomes ill. This causes complications for Maria, since she planned to stay with Rosita and Rosita's empathetic sister Juana (Virgina Ariza).
How others will see it. Maria Full of Grace will be remembered for its Academy Award nomination. Catalina Sandino Morena received a Best Actress nod for her role, delivered entirely in Spanish. This was a first, although the film is actually an American production (by HBO Films). The scenes set in Columbia were shot in Ecuador.
Men may watch the film solely for Morena's continual presence. She is a ravishing young woman with long black hair. At one point in the film, Maria needs a place to stay, and one can almost see the male viewers waving their arms, shouting "Me! You can stay with me!"
On the other hand, this subtitled Spanish language film requires concentration from an English-speaking audience. It doesn't help that the story is slow to develop. Some will lose interest, particularly if they don't connect emotionally with Maria's plight.
How I felt about it. Maria Full of Grace is a character study. The credibility of the characters is key to its quality. There were a number of small things about the characters and story that were unconvincing to me:
Juan loses interest in Maria after their initial kissing scene. Given how attractive Maria is, he would want to keep her as a girlfriend. His actions are strange, beginning with his refusal to climb onto the roof with her.
Maria and Rosita are uncommonly beautiful. They would attract attention, which presumably makes them less likely to be selected by drug traffickers.
It seems improbable that Juana would allow Maria to continue to stay with them after Blanca shows up and exposes several of Maria's statements as lies.
The drug traffickers know the address of Rosita's sister. When Maria and Blanca flee with their pellets, a couple of heavies would surely show up at Rosita's apartment within the day.
It is natural for Maria to feel sorry for Rosita. Yet it is unusually noble for Maria to spend $2,500 of her own money to return Rosita to Columbia. It is implausible that a pregnant drug trafficker without a means of support would make such a sacrifice for someone who can no longer be helped.
One can argue that Maria's ordeal has changed her for the better. But her stoic personality appears unaffected by the stress she is subjected to. She only panics briefly, when she feels her life is threatened. Since no 'character turn' exists, the explanation for Maria's payments for Rosita lies in the director's need to make her character more sympathetic.