I always hated those after school specials with the inevitable bad thing that happens to the kids. I would shirk away from them, like in horror movies when that person in theater involuntarily cries out to tell the teenager not to to walking in the swamp on a moonlit night.
So, a similar feeling pursued me through this film, in the pit of my stomach--a grinding, nauseous unease, which played into sympathy for Maria and her plight. But, if I were a prosecutor I'd say "I'm sorry--her story may be sad, but she still chose to smuggle the drugs. She still chose her path."
So she did, but not as a job, but as a gamble. The idea that this long shot might pay off and elevate her to a different life. A life of living in America and working jobs just as menial as those in Columbia, but at a much higher wage. Welcome to America, Maria. You'll be safe so long as the politicians that hire you don't suddenly feel a need to show they're tough on immigration.
Where we saw it: DVD | We deign to rate it: 85 outta 100