"Maria Full of Grace" is one of the finest films of extreme substance and drama used to depict the hardships of illegal and dangerous ventures of immigrants since 2002's "Dirty Pretty Things." The movie's star, Catalina Sandino Moreno, is phenomenal in her acting debut as an innocent 17-year-old girl whom simply wants a better life, while the film's director and writer, Joshua Martson, carries the elaborate and intriguing film's story flawlessly in his first feature length project.

Maria (Catalina Sandino Moreno) is a young woman who lives in a cramped apartment with her family in Colombia. Every day she endures a job of de-thorning flowers for a low wage and lousy treatment from her boss, and she doesn't even get to keep her paychecks. Instead, she's forced to give them to her unemployed sister so that she can take care of her son. Add to this the fact that Maria has just found out that she's pregnant.

Situations only get worse when Maria decides she can't handle her job anymore and quits. Without a job, Maria worries about how she will have enough money for her family and begins looking for a new job. While looking for a job, Maria meets Franklin (John Álex Toro) who uses connections to get Maria an impressively high paying job, transporting heroin to the United States. Maria accepts, but in order to deliver the drugs she has to swallow them in large pellet forms, risking her life and looking the threat of arrest right in the face.

Intriguing and often suspenseful developments involving characters, situations, and the plot continue throughout "Maria Full of Grace." Maria especially shows assorted sides of her complex personality, particularly her tough but emotionally fragile disposition.

The main character relationships of the film additionally develop in a manner that shows as much about the film's well portrayed chemistry as it shows in the characters personalities. Two main relationships that the film subtly focuses on are that of Maria and Lucy (Guilied Lopez) and Maria and her best friend Blanca (Yenny Paola Vega). Both of these relationships demonstrate how Maria takes on the role as a leader, but is also still confused about the world around her. Maria looks out for Blanca as a concerned mother would as they both journey into the formidable drug trafficking trade. However, Maria also strongly relies on the older and veteran "heroin mule," Lucy for help and advice in order to stay out of harm's way.

Just as the plot is incredibly absorbing, so is the reality of it, the script and acting of "Maria Full of Grace" are so precise that the film almost becomes the audience's reality. While the dialogue is not very intellectually provocative and the camera lacks stability occasionally, these slight stylistic imperfections make the film more like watching real tragedy unravel.

Combining a well constructed plot, superb and believable acting with a real yet inexplicably surreal sort of style in development, "Maria Full of Grace" is truly a fantastic drama. The film is not only touching in the emotional turmoil Maria encounters, but also in cheering for Maria as she strives to overcome and challenge the tumultuous times she subsists through.

"Maria Full of Grace" (101 minutes) is rated R for drug content and language, is in Spanish and English with subtitles and is playing at the Landmark Bethesda Row and Landmark E street cinemas.