The piece that affected me the most was easily Maria Full of Grace. While I can’t say I can compare to her story (I don’t have much experience being a drug mule, you see), I can empathize. Maria and her risks had me both angry and on edge. She was at times stubborn, selfish, and irrational, but by the end of the movie I could not deny her strength.
At first, while I was watching Maria, I was extremely annoyed. One: why was the movie in Spanish? What ever happened to good ole’ English translations? And two: what was with this girl and her annoying best friend?
But then I got to know Maria a little better. This seventeen-year-old had to play the part of family supporter. With her single job she was expected to carry her household, a family of five. And throughout the whole movie, Maria was obviously unsatisfied with her life, always yearning for something else, or something more. But there wasn’t really anything she could do to change her situation. Maria was stuck in a family that was overly dependent on her, she was attached to a boy she barely had feelings for, had a best friend who couldn’t make her own decisions, and a job she couldn’t tolerate.
Maria was stuck living and working for other people. At times she got fed up and reckless. She got pregnant. When I realized Maria was expecting, I was all “oh shucks, how’s she ‘sposed to get through this situation?” I wasn’t sure what would be the best choice for her. But the one she made definitely had me shaking my head. “No Maria!” I said, “Don’t become involved in drug cartel!” “No Maria, don’t swallow those pellets; you’re pregnant!” Maria, I thought was acting childishly, recklessly, and obviously did not care much about herself or her unborn baby.
But by the end of the movie she was still alive, she’d made it to America intact gotten her money, and decided to stay to care for her child. I had to at least respect and admire her for that.
As the credits rolled, I took a step back and thought, what could make someone act so drastically? What could make someone put their life and the life of their unborn child in danger? And for what, for money? But then I supposed drastic situations could cause for drastic choices. And while Maria’s situation in Colombia wasn’t the worst, her experience in coming to America is reminiscent of other individuals and their sacrifices. Not just immigrants seeking a different, better life but also those who decide to take on dangerous jobs to support their families. It makes me think of what might’ve driven them to make the choices that they did. What they dared risk losing, and what they might’ve ended up leaving behind.
