the sister that Lucy is dead. Blanca soon joins her there. Eventually the sister unexpectedly hears of their involvement in her sister's death and throws them out. Blanca and Maria make an agreement to return the drugs to the traffickers and receive their money. Maria uses some of her drug money to send Lucy's body home to Colombia for a proper burial. Maria and Blanca are ready to board the plane back to Colombia when Maria decides to stay in the United States. Blanca returns home without Maria. Cast Catalina Sandino Moreno as Maria Álvarez John Álex Toro as Franklin Johanna Andrea Mora as Diana Álvarez Virginia Ariza as Juana Yenny Paola Vega as Blanca Guilied Lopez as Lucy Díaz Patricia Rae as Carla Rodrigo Sánchez Borhorquez as the supervisor Charles Albert Patiño as Felipe Wilson Guerrero as Juan Fabricio Suarez, Mateo Suarez as Pacho Evangelina Morales as Rosita Juana Guarderas as a pharmacist Jaime Osorio Gómez as Javier Victor Macias as Pellet maker Selenis Leyva as Customs Inspector Release Maria Full of Grace was first shown on 18 January at the Sundance Film Festival in the United States. On 11 February 2004, it was shown at the Berlin Film Festival; launch in Colombia occurred only on 2 April of the same year. The film had a limited release on 16 July 2004, before going wide in the United States on 6 August 2004. Reception Critical response The film was critically acclaimed. It garnered a 97% approval rating on the aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes, based on 146 reviews, and an average rating of 8/10. The website's critical consensus states, "In a striking debut, Moreno carries the movie and puts a human face on the drug trade". On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 87 out of 100, based on 39 critics, indicating "universal acclaim". According to Desson Thomson from The Washington Post, "Catalina Sandino Moreno is a Colombian Mona Lisa, a delicate, unforgettable force majeure. Add to her luminous demeanor a story that rips fleshy holes through your heart and you've got yourself a stunner of a film". Writing for Rolling Stone, Peter Travers gave the film 3 out of 4 stars, praising Moreno's performance, the screenplay, and Maston's direction, saying: "Remember the name Catalina Sandino Moreno. The heartfelt and harrowing performance she gives here should put her in line for a heap of year-end awards." The