The Crime of Padre Amaro (2002)

Politics and sexual passions threaten to corrupt a young, newly-ordained priest in a small Mexican town.

Director:

Carlos Carrera

Writers:

Vicente Leñero, Eça de Queirós (novel)

Stars:

Gael García Bernal, Ana Claudia Talancón, Sancho Gracia

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 21 wins & 14 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Gael García Bernal	...	Padre Amaro
Ana Claudia Talancón	...	Amelia
Sancho Gracia	...	Padre Benito Díaz
Angélica Aragón	...	Augustina Sanjuanera
Luisa Huertas	...	Dionisia
Ernesto Gómez Cruz	...	Obispo
Gastón Melo	...	Martín
Andrés Montiel	...	Rubén de la Rosa
Damián Alcázar	...	Padre Natalio Pérez
Gerardo Moscoso	...	Doc
Alfredo Gonzáles	...	Viejo / Old Man
Verónica Langer	...	Amparito
Pedro Armendáriz Jr.	...	Presidente Municipal Gordo (as Pedro Armendáriz)
Lorenzo de Rodas	...	Don Paco de la Rosa
Roger Nevares	...	Padre Galván

Storyline

Recently ordained a priest, 24-year-old Father Amaro is sent to a small parish church in Los Reyes, Mexico to assist the aging Father Benito in his daily work. Benito--for years a fixture in the church as well as the community--welcomes Father Amaro into a new life of unseen challenges. Upon arriving in Los Reyes, the ambitious Father Amaro meets Amelia, a beautiful 16-year-old girl whose religious devotion soon becomes helplessly entangles in a growing attraction to the new priest. Amelia is quickly following into the footsteps of her mother, Sanjuanera, who has been engaged in a long-time affair with Father Benito. Amaro soon discovers that corruption and the Church are old acquaintances in Los Reyes. Father Benito has been receiving financial help from the region's drug lord for the construction of a new health clinic. As well, another priest in the diocese, Father Natalio, is suspected of assisting guerilla troops in the highlands. Maenwhile, Amelia and Father Amaro have fallen in...

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Plot Keywords:

priest | church | corruption | sex scene | female frontal nudity | 

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Taglines:

no nos dejes caer en la tentacion...

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for sexuality, language and some disturbing images

Details

Official Sites:

Columbia Tristar [France] Official site

Country:

Mexico Spain Argentina France

Language:

Spanish

Release Date:

13 December 2002 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Crime of Padre Amaro

Filming Locations:

Coatepec, Veracruz, Mexico

Box Office

Budget:

$1,800,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$496,290, 17 November 2002

Gross USA:

$5,709,616

Company Credits

Production Co:

Alameda Films, Artcam International, Blu Films

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This movie began creating controversy even before it was released. Several groups, most of them related to the church, tried to ban it. They did not succeed; instead, tickets were sold out on opening weekend.

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Goofs

Amaro gets beaten up by Ruben and receives some bruises in his face. A little later, when he meets Amelia in the church, the bruises are gone.

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Quotes

Father Amaro: You are more beautiful than the Virgin.

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Crazy Credits

"In memoriam Paco Rabal"

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Connections

Referenced in Promoción (Prohibida su venta) (2003)

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Soundtracks

Corrido del Padre Amaro
Written by Luis Carlos Monroy
Performed by Los Cardenales de Nuevo León

User Reviews

Oh... my... god...

This is, without a doubt, the most controversial mexican film ever. I don't know if people from around the world will understand the impact it had here in Mexico, but here are some hints: a) almost everybody in Mexico is catholic, b) Mexican catholics have an enormous respect for priests.

So, imagine the chaos when a film is about a priest, Father Amaro (García Bernal), who falls in love with a teenage girl (Talancón) and is under the supervision of the local priest, Father Benito (Gracia), who is involved with one of the most wanted drug dealers in the country. And it gets better.

Nevertheless, the film does not criticize the catholic religion; it criticizes people, wether they're in a robe or not (as always, there's a lot of jabs to mexican politics too). "El crimen del padre Amaro" is a movie about human flaws and passions. Passion for a woman, passion for justice, passion for success; even passion for a religion.

Another plus is the performance of each and everyone of the cast members. Everybody is in character and brings to life a great plot. You can't help but thinking "Oh my, now how are they going to get out of this one?".

This one is a must-see. Remember: have an open mind, it's just a (very good) movie.