In 2004, director Joshua Marston had the vision to create a film to show the public of the horrors of drug trafficking. This film is called Maria Full of Grace.

Maria Alvarez (Catalina Sandino Moreno) works a dead-end job that hardly pays anything to help provide for her rather large family in Columbia. Soon after she finds out she’s pregnant, she must find a new way to make money fast. So she takes up drug trafficking. The process in which she must swallow these drug-filled balloons is long, grueling, and slightly disturbing to watch.

After swallowing the balloons, she must hop on a plane to New York to get these illegal substances across the border. Other than the intriguing plot, this movie offers well-developed characters, interesting dialogue, and a nerve-racking experience for not only Maria, but also the audience.

This is Moreno's film debut, for which she was nominated for Best Actress at the 2005 Academy Awards. It is also director Joshua Marston’s first feature film.

Rated R for drug content and language, this film's target audience is 17 and older. I  I wouldn’t recommend this film for younger viewers because of the suggestive themes.

If you like this film, you'll also like Amores Perros and El Norte, films with similar elements as this one. This film is in Spanish with English subtitles.