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The Crime of Padre Amaro (2002)
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Reviews Counted:28
Fresh:19
Rotten:9
Average Rating:6.3/10
Consensus: Though melodramatic, El Crimen del Padre Amaro's critique of the Catholic church is a timely one.
Runtime: 2 hrs
Genre: Foreign Films
US Box Office: $5,433,078
Synopsis: Gael Garcia Bernal (Y TU MAMA TAMBIEN, AMORES PERROS) stars in EL CRIMEN DEL PADRE AMARO, a controversial drama that was a box office smash in its native Mexico. Directed by Carlos Carrera, the... Gael Garcia Bernal (Y TU MAMA TAMBIEN, AMORES PERROS) stars in EL CRIMEN DEL PADRE AMARO, a controversial drama that was a box office smash in its native Mexico. Directed by Carlos Carrera, the film tells the story of a young priest who succumbs to temptation and corruption. Father Amaro (Bernal) is a handsome 24-year-old who has recently been assigned to a new church in Los Reyes. Upon arrival, he discovers that his mentor, Father Benito (Sancho Garcia), is having an affair with a local restaurant owner, Sanjuanera (Angelica Aragon). At first shocked, Father Amaro soon finds himself in a moral predicament of his own. Amelia (Ana Claudia Talancon), Sanjuanera's 16-year-old daughter, is a gorgeous teenager who falls deeply in love with the tempted priest. Before long, Father Amaro and Amelia are entangled in a steamy relationship, further testing the young priest's moral fiber. Based on the classic Portuguese novel by Eca de Quieroz, Carrera's film is a scathing indictment of the hypocrisy and corruption that has plagued the Catholic church from its inception. As the confused and conflicted priest, Bernal delivers another magnetic performance, cementing his status as one of Mexico's hottest superstars. [More]
Starring: Gael Garcia Bernal, Ana Claudia Talancon, Sancho Gracia, Angelica Aragon
Starring: Gael Garcia Bernal, Ana Claudia Talancon, Sancho Gracia, Angelica Aragon, Pedro Armendariz
Director: Carlos Carrera
Director: Carlos Carrera
Screenwriter: Vicente Lenero
Producer: Alfredo Ripstein, Daniel Birman Ripstein
Studio: Samuel Goldwyn Films
Reviews for The Crime of Padre Amaro
A lurid but timeless reminder that the bureaucracies and regulations of organized religion have nothing to do -- indeed are often at odds -- with living a God-ward life.
Works itself into a lather of passion, anguish and tragedy, but there's more to this Mexican movie than straight soap opera.
You can see the would-be surprises coming a mile away, and the execution of these twists is delivered with a hammer. Thumbs down.
A melodrama, a film that doesn't say priests are bad but observes that priests are human and some humans are bad.
The film's most disconcerting element is its confusing mixture of satire and melodrama.
The film is ... determined to treat its characters, weak and strong, as fallible human beings, not caricatures, and to carefully delineate the cost of the inevitable conflicts between human urges and an institution concerned with self-preservation.
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