Great Foreign Movies - The Crime of Padre Amaro. Review on The Crime of Father Amaro Movie

People who are close to me know that I don’t go to temples. It doesn’t mean I am atheist. I believe in God. I have faith in God. I believe in there is something out there. I believe in there is some unknown force out there that runs this universe. In my weak moments, I always call for that force. That gives me strength and courage to survive through those tough times.

Even though I am Hindu by birth, I respect all religions or religion sects. But, I am not blindly passionate to any religious institutions. Infect, I don’t believe in any religious institutions. I don’t believe in any human form of god. I don’t believe in any religious practitioner doesn’t matter its Hindu Saint, Catholic Father, or Muslim Sufi. Amazingly and surprisingly enough, 2002 Academy award nominee film, The Crime of Padre Amaro confirms my beliefs and that might be one of the reasons why I consider it as one of the finest films made in recent times.

The Crime of Padre Amaro (2002) (Also known as The Crime of Father Amaro or El Crimen del Padre Amaro) tackles issues related to religious practitioner’s (Father or Padre) morality and righteous in religious (Catholic) institutions. It is adapted from 150-year-old, 1875 Portuguese novel by Eca de Queiroz and premised into contemporary Mexico.

Story

A handsome young priest, 24-year-old Padre Amaro (Gael Garcia Bernal) arrives in a small town of Los Reyes in Mexico to help aging Padre Benito (Sancho Gracia). Upon arriving in Los Reyes, he soon discovers that Benito is following neither church nor local laws. Benito has been receiving financial help from the region's drug lord and town's mayor for the construction of a new health clinic. He is also having long-time affair with Augustina Sanjuanera, who runs restaurant in town. Another priest in the countryside, Padre Natalio, is suspected of assisting guerilla troops in the highlands.

In church, Amaro meets Amelia (Ana Claudia Talancon), a beautiful 16-year-old girl and daughter of Sanjuanera, who is religiously devoted and regular visitor to church. Amelia loves Ruben, local town boy since childhood but later dumps him after knowing his non-belief in church. Ruben gets hired in newspaper firm in nearby town. Ruben gets his first assignment of uncovering scandals of Benito’s relationship with drug lords and Natalio’s relationship with guerilla troops.

In the mean time, Amelia's religious devotion soon becomes helplessly entangled in a growing attraction to the new handsome priest. She starts making teasing flirts with Amaro. She confesses Amaro that when she touches herself, she thinks of Jesus. It doesn’t take long to sensual Amelia and young Amaro to fall in love. They begin a passionate sexual relationship violating the church's laws of priestly celibacy.

Eventually Amelia becomes pregnant. She asks Amaro to leave the priesthood to be with her, but Amaro denies his responsibility of child and doesn’t want to give up his career for Amelia. He sees unborn child as hindrance to his professional ambitions of church career. In the attempt to hide his crime, he takes her to do illegal abortion clinic in the jungle. In the process of abortion, Amelia gets killed and Amaro covers up whole episode by blaming on Ruben.

Analysis

The Crime of Padre Amaro is complex and tackles controversial subject matter. It is very disturbing, offensive, and unforgivable film for many of avid followers of Christian religions. Many of the scenes are disrespectful – Benito launder drug money, old lady feds the communion bread to her cats, Amaro covers the Amelia with the Virgin Mary's cloth, and Amaro pays for Amelia’s abortions.

Many of Mexican catholic institutions condemned this movie for its brutal portrayal of priests. At the same time, many of Christian institutions described this movie as honest movie on catholic decadence and wake up call for the churches to review its procedure for selecting and training priests. It doesn’t matter whether movie raises issues related to corruption in catholic churches or not but its subject matter forced churches to campaign against film. In country where majority of people are catholic, catholic institution’s strategy backfired, and free publicity resulted into its becoming one of the biggest boxoffice hits in Mexican films in history.

This movie observes three kinds of priests. Movie observes that priests are human and humans can have flaws - they are made of flesh, they eat food, they breath air, they feel emotions, and they can be tempted by money, pride, lust, and desire. On one hand, morality of human can be based on how they raised, what values they learned, and that will decide final outcome of what they will become as priest. On other hand, sometimes priests are products of the religious institution systems that is rotten to the core.

(#) Padre Banito is symbol of hypocrite and corrupted priest. On one hand, he is having longtime affair with woman and on other hand, he refuses to accept Amaro and Amelia’s relationship. On one hand he is building hospital for town people, on other hand he is accepting money (getting bribes) from drug lords and town mayor and assist them to strengthen their positions by arguing that ''bad money becomes good money'' when it is used in the service of the Lord.

(#) Padre Amaro is symbol of immoral and over-ambitious priest. Amaro finds himself surrounded by hypocrisy and corruption, tempted by a beautiful young woman, makes her pregnant, refuses his responsibility for unborn child, and covers up girl’s death during illegal abortion by blaming his sin on someone else.

(#) Padre Natalio is charged of helping uprising of guerilla troops in mountains and using his priesthood to cover up guerilla activities. In reality, he believes in their belief of fighting against drug lords.

As far as acting department, all major performances are worth to watch. Mexican stalwart Sancho Garcia as Padre Banito is mesmerizing and leaves special impression during proceedings. One of the rising star of Mexican cinema, Gael Garcia Bernal (Y Tu Mama Tambien, Amores Perros) as Amaro is outstanding. He is masterful as priest, who torn between the divine and the carnal. Ana Claudia Talancon as Amelia is luminous beauty. Initial part of movie when she involved in passion for religion, she seems like virgin beauty and beautiful soul. Later part of the movie when she involved in passion for love and lust, she seems like sexually seductive goddess in intimate scenes whose flirts and beauty Amaro couldn’t resist.

Conclusion

The Crime of Padre Amaro is criticism of the corruption in the catholic churches. It’s a universal in its theme. Even though its premise is situated in catholic churches, it can apply to any religion or political institutions all over world. Even though its premise is situated in modern era, it can apply to any era as we can see from book written about 150 years ago in portugal. This is one of most thought provoking and eye-opening melodrama of recent times. It makes us upset and think hard on what’s happening behind the doors in religious systems. A must see.