Maria Full of Grace (2004)

Maria Alvarez is a spunky seventeen-year-old trapped in a small village in Colombia. When her boss threatens her she quits her job de-thorning roses at a plantation (for shipment to Costco?!), even though this spells economic disaster for her family. She bags her boyfriend Juan who's a loser, even though he got her pregnant and wants to marry. Then a "friend" advises her that she can make unheard of money as a "mule" who swallows packets of heroin and delivers them by stomach to New York City. The allure of money and adventure is too much, so Maria, her best friend Blanca, and a seasoned mule named Lucy, learn how to swallow 50–60 packets without gagging and find themselves on the next flight to the Big Apple. We're not surprised when custom agents grill Maria upon landing, or that a packet bursts in Lucy's stomach, but these are only the beginnings of bad outcomes for all. The power of this film includes its understated tone and the realization that it's based upon way too many true stories. In Spanish with English subtitles.