In my past few blogs I've talked about the negative portrayal of Latin characters in film. While all of my facts are true in previous blogs and my opinions stay the same, I recently saw a film that gives a different perspective.
While often times Latinos are shown to be drug traffickers in movies, it is not often that the reasons why they do it are presented to the audience. The 2004 film Maria Full of Grace, however, takes this perspective.
The film is centered around Maria (played by newcomer Catalina Sandino Moreno), a young girl who grows tired of working on a rose plantation for little money and even less respect. After learning she is pregnant, Maria realizes she needs a job that earn more money and receives an offer to work as a drug courier, carrying pellets of drugs concealed in her body from Colombia to the United States. After only one trip and the death of a friend due to the job, Maria decides to stay quit the job and remain in the United States in hopes to find a better future.
The director, Joshua Marston, wanted to do a film about the stories of immigrants coming into the United States and was inspired by one woman's in particular. Although the story is not based on this one woman, it is the story of many. If you want to find up to date figures, facts, or other information about drug trafficking in the US, click here. But if you are curious about Arizona inparticular, click here.
When the film came out in 2004 it was immediatly nominated for prestigious awards and won many of them. Click here for a full list of those awards & nominations.
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