Maria Llena Eres

de Gracia
By Rachel Colgan
 "Maria Llena Eres de Gracia" is about a young woman
named Maria who lives in Columbia. She works in a
rose factory dethorning roses to support her family,
her mom, her sister and her sister's baby. But when
her boss refuses to let her use the bathroom she
quits her job, making her family furious as she
provides for them. Maria finds out she is pregnant
and her boyfriend says they have to get married but
they dont love each other so she didnt want to
marry him. Desperately stuck for money she decides
to travel to the city to seek work as a maid. While
waiting at the bus stop a guy called Franklin, who she
met previously at a party, asked her if she wanted a
lift on his motorcycle. When they stopped for a break
he told her he could get her a job working as a mule.
Franklin takes her to be interviewed, here she is asked a load of
questions such as; if she has a problem taking direction,
does she get scared easily, if she has a boyfriend and how is
her stomach/system. If she takes the job she will be paid
$100 per roll. On the bus home she meets one of the girls
also working as a mule, Lucy. Maria goes to visit Lucy as she
doesnt know whether to take the job, Lucy teaches her to
swallow grapes to practice for the rolls of drugs. Maria then
goes to a place with Franklin where she has to swallow 67
pellets. Maria is on a flight to New York with Lucy, Blanca,
who worked at the rose factory with her and another
woman. During the flight Lucy becomes ill and Maria looses
her hotel address so Lucy gives her her sister's. When they
landed Maria is stopped on suspicion of smuggling drugs
and is asked to have an X-Ray but when they find out she is
pregnant and can't perform the X-Ray they let her go,
however the other woman on the plane was caught.
When Maria walked outside Lucy, Blanca and two other
guys were waiting for her. The guys took the girls to a
hotel in New Jersey where the girls are given laxatives.
While Maria and Blanca rid themselves of the pellets
Lucy gets worse. Maria wakes up to find the men
carrying Lucy away and she finds blood in the bathtub.
Panicked she wakes up Blanca, they grabbed the drugs
and left. They got a taxi to Lucy's sister's house but
Blanca didnt want to go there so she left. Lucy's sister,
Carla and her husband, Pablo take in Maria but only for
a few days and Blanca came back having nowhere to go.
Carla takes the girls to meet Don Fernando, a generous
Colombian expatriate who tries to help them find a job.
Fernando saw the pellets in Blanca's bag and advised
them to return them before their families are hurt.
Blanca and Maria fight and separate again. Maria finds a pre-
natal clinic and gets an ultrasound and she hears her baby's
heartbeat for the first time. Although she knows she wont be
there she accepts an appointment for two weeks later. She
goes back to Fernando who shows her a picture of a dead
woman and Maria confirms that it's Lucy. Fernando tells her to
tell Carla but she couldnt and instead told her she was going
back to Columbia but Carla advises her to stay as she can send
money back to her family and her baby will have
more opportunities. Fernando calls Carla to make
arrangements for funeral and Carla, realising Maria ad Blanca
had lied to her, kicked them out. The girls meet up with the
guys from before and gave them the drugs in exchange for their
money. Maria gives Fernando her money to have Lucy's body
sent home and says goodbye to Carla at the funeral home
when she was paying her respects. She traveled to the airport
with Blanca but when she was about boarding she was holding
her baby's sonogram and her appointment card and instead of
boarding the plane she walked away and stayed in Columbia.
Characters
Maria Alvarez

Juan
Lucy

Blanca
 Carla

Don Fernando

Franklin
 Mara trabaja en una fbrica de rosas y el trabajo es quitar las espinas de
las rosas.
Ella deja su trabajo porque fue tratada injustamente.
Se entera de que est embarazada pero no quiere casarse con Juan.
Ella tom un trabajo de contrabando de drogas en Nueva York.
Ella fue a Nueva York con su amiga Blanca y una chica llamada Lucy.
Lucy muri en Nueva York porque a las drogas.
Mara fue a quedarse con la hermana de Lucy, Carla.
Maria recibi un ultrasonido de su beb.
Carla se enter de la muerte de Lucy.
Mara pag para enviar el cuerpo de Lucy a casa.
 I enjoyed watching this movie as I thought the story line was very
good and interesting and it was different from the movies I usually
watch.
I think my Spanish listening skills might have improved a bit from
listening to the movie in Spanish.
I would recommend this movie to anyone who typically enjoys these
types of movies.