Maria Full of Grace

Maria Full of Grace (María llena eres de gracia) is a 2004 Colombian Film. The protagonist Maria is a 17 year old woman, living in Colombia, a nation corrupted by the International drug trade. Maria is prompted to become a mule after she receives the offer and is able to escape her job at a flower plantation.

The story told by the film is the story of the Colombian nation as a whole, which to this day, even with a democratic government, is controlled by drug lords. This has been the case ever since the infamous Pablo Escobar, created the world's largest cocaine operation in the 70's, the Medellin Cartel, which is responsible for more than half of the cocaine that is imported annually in the US. Escobar may have been a criminal, but ironically he was also a philanthropist, giving money to not only, the poor Colombian peasants, but to various charities as well until his assassination in 1993. At one point Escobar was the 6th richest man on the planet according to Forbes. His influence, and his buisness, however live on, with the Medellin cartel still operating today as one of the world's major suppliers of illicit drugs. The traffickers often commit acts of terrorism to deter government intervention.

The influence of the trade continues to affect the peasantry of Colombia. Many like Maria, are commissioned by the cartels to carry drugs to the north, and are often willing to do so to provide for their families. This, however is a risky undertaking, as failure can mean, death or imprisonment for they and their families.