The Crime of Padre Amaro

Rating:
Summary: Underrated, and seemingly misunderstood.
Review: El Crimen del Padre Amaro (Carlos Carrera, 2002)

When you want to make a name for yourself, take one of the most controversial books ever released, update it, and make one of the most controversial films ever released. It helps if the film is really, really good.

Carlos Carrera's fourth feature-length offering is El Crimen del Padre Amaro, and it has the potential to knock the unsuspecting right off their feet. Not necessarily because of the subject matter, but because the trailers, and the reviews, I saw of the movie before I actually got there oversimplified it to the point of ludicrousness. Sure, okay, a young priest, Father Amaro (Gael Garcia Bernal, who has very quickly stamped himself a major player with this, Amores Perros, and Y Tu Mama Tambien), gets himself involved with a sixteen-year-old girl, Amelia (Ana Claudia Talancon, one of the main reasons Univision has such great ratings in America). And their hooking up is the main device on which the second half of the movie turns. But what everyone seems to have failed to realize is the irony of the title; in the general scheme of the diocese of Los Reyes, the crime of Father Amaro is pretty small potatoes. The diocese of Los Reyes is awash in corruption, from the bishop on down, and the first half of the film is spent establishing that corruption. Even after Amaro and Amelia hook up, not an insubstantial amount of time is devoted to Amaro's struggles between acting on behalf of the diocese and doing what he things is the right thing for the church to be doing.

Perhaps the most amusing thing about El Crimen del Padre Amaro is that the original novel, as the preface to the film tells us, was published in 1875. Carrera had to do little other than introduce motor vehicles into the film to make a relevant contemporary piece of work.

Many of the reviews I've read of the movie, aside from oversimplifying the plot, also seem to be missing some major points of how the movie transpires. Yes, there could be a good deal of information given that never shows up (the beginnings of the relationship between Amaro and Amelia, especially, seem to be filmed in stop-motion animation; she flees his advances, then a few frames later is confronting him in the confessional offering her own affections, for example), but that method of operation isn't true of all the characters herein. Amaro, especially, is unjustly accused in review after review I come across. Yes, he does accept the first obviously corrupt task the bishop sets him to without any real inner struggle. That's the point; at the beginning of the movie, he is naively attached to the church and thinks it capable of no wrong; it is only after being in the field and seeing the corruption he encounters that he develops enough of a conscience to start wondering if the bishop is always right. As to the seduction of Amelia (or vice-versa, a point that is open to large amounts of interpretation), that is set up throughout the first half of the film, and (especially if seeing it with subtitles in an American theater), a (re)viewer would have to not only be deaf, but illiterate not to have noticed.

There is a great deal to enjoy in this film. Best viewed as a double bill with Rabbit-Proof Fence, as Amaro starts out light and airy and descends into tragedy, where Rabbit-Proof Fence starts in tragedy and ends triumphant. That way, you're only depressed while in the theater. ****

Rating:
Summary: An Amazingly Powerful Film
Review: EL CRIMEN DEL PADRE AMARO packs a wallop on many levels. Based on an 1875 novel, this story of the gradual downfall of an idealistic young priest sent out into the reality of the clerical world in the small villages in Mexico updated to contemporary times is unrelentingly fascinating, visually stunning, uncompromisingly frank in its stance on Catholic decadence, and directed and acted with finesse. Gael Garcia Bernal continues to mature as an actor and as a screen presence, making his Padre Amaro metamorphose from committed innocent to fallen sparrow in a wholly credible fashion. Despite our sadness with his bad decisions and choices, Bernal is able to keep us with this complex young priest and in doing so we are able to clearly examine the fragmented state of affairs in the hands of various priests tainted with lust, pride, sloth and a bit of each of the seven deadly sins. Director Daniel Carrera knows how to create both spectacular and intimate scenes and he masterfully leads his gifted cast through a more than difficult story.

If there is a tendency to berate this film for its anticlerical stance, then the point of the story is missed. Each of the myriad characters, sacred and profane alike, has a soul of good and one of vulnerability, and given the current tenuous state of the Catholic Church under seige, I think this film helps explain how even men of the cloth can be human. Kudos for Gael Garcia Bernal, Ana Claudia Talancion, Damian Alcazar and all of the fine cast and crew that created this very impressive and disturbing piece of art.

Rating:
Summary: 2002, Father Amaro Picture makes it big in Mexico!
Review: Evaluation of the Movie:

This is a Movie that will make one think.
There is just so much controversy on the issue
that will be shown here in this movie. I want
to say that this movie was a blockbuster hit
in Mexico, it made history at the box office.
The movie deals with Manipulation of words
and situation for convenience, money, love,
lust, and the love of a woman toward a priest
that really is just a no no, but occurs.
This movie has to be approaced at a higher level
of thinking when viewing this film. "The Crime of
Father Amaro" is a recommended movie to All who read
this review. In the end, man is just evil by himself.
This film
just involves the greed of man, and the temptations of life
in where many fall, and is sure is
the case with the young Father Amaro who falls to the pleasures of the flesh.
This film is truthful, and realistic, and this story was
written in 1847 if one pays attention to the detail when
the movie is beginning. In the end, Man is Evil, and without
Jesus Christ they are just damned. The characters in this
story were not devout Christ Catholic followers of Christ
and about his word only, but followers of their own lustful greed actions for power/control, and pleasure for flesh.
In the end, one will find out that no one in real life on
this earth by viewing this film will like to be told the truth.
The real true preachers who preach the Gospel on this planet are the ones who behave well in all daily actions-public and private, and who interpret the Word, and Most importantly always mention 24-7 Christ in a positive light.

The ending storywise in this
motion picture will surprise all-You cannot miss this movie-
El Crimen del Padre Amaro-The Crime of Father Amaro.
This movie will make you think that there is a darkside out there in this world, a world that many just want to blind
because they just say so. The truth is the key, because lies just build over more lies, and get the characters of this story into a big vortex(black hole) of hurt.

Other films i recommend to readers who are reading this
post, movies that i consider to be good are:

1. Solaris-George Clooney
2. Swimfan-Erika Christensen
3. L'Ennui-Sophie Guillimien
4. Cyborg-Van Damme
5. Lawnmower Man-Pierce Brosnan
6. New Eve-Karin Viard
7. Friday the 13th-Part 4
8. Leprachaun 4-In Space
9. Ghosts of Mars-by John Carpenter.

Rating:
Summary: A Price Too High To Pay...
Review: Father Amaro (Gael García Bernal) has recently been ordained as a priest for the Catholic Church in Mexico and he has been sent to a small Mexican village where he is suppose to help Father Benito (Sancho Gracia). In between the daily responsibilities Father Amaro meets with other priests and the people of the village. One of the girls of the village, Amelia (Ana Claudia Talancón), seeks Father Amaro's attention as she falls in love with him. These are feelings that Father Amaro desires, but they come with a price that he does not want to pay. Crime of Father Amaro is a strong film that displays some of the many opinions and notions that rest within the Catholic Church. In the end, the audience is to experience a good cinematic event as the story unfolds.

Rating:
Summary: The Sacred and the Profane
Review: Father Amaro (Gael Garcia Bernal) arrives at his new assignment in a small town in Mexico with fervor for Catholicism and a deep and abiding desire to do good. But, regardless of Father Amaro's calling and his innate goodness, he is of the year 2002: a young man in his twenties with contemporary ideas who, on the one hand respects the traditions of the Church yet on the other, yearns for change. In a meeting with his superior, Padre Benito (Sancho Gracia) asks:'don't you think the Church should do away with its vow of Celibacy.' Later on in the story he tells Padre Benito that he took the vow because he was forced to, not because he believed in it.
This clash between the old traditions of the Church and the new thoughts of the young are at the very core of 'El Crimen del Padre Amaro.' What's also very interesting is that this film is based on a story that was written in 1845! This eternal battle between the old and the new, the religious and the carnal has been going on in the Catholic Church for many hundreds if not thousands of years.
The best thing about this film is the very 'Mexican-ness' of it: the beauty of the Mexican people and the charm of its towns and the beauty of it's landscape, the attitude of Rome towards the Mexican Catholics, the necessary yet tortured role of the priests who work among the guerillas, the drug lords and the indigenous people. This film is the third major Mexican film to be released in the United States recently, along with 'Amores Perros' and 'Y Tu Mama Tambien.' Oddly enough all three films also star Gael Garcia Bernal who is fast becoming the Tom Cruise/Brad Pitt/Edward Norton of Mexico. There is no doubt that Bernal has the acting chops and the looks to be a major international star and like the three mentioned above he is a major 'presence' on the screen: his physical body and his soul are luminescent'literally glow from within.
Unfortunately, 'Amaro' is not in the same league as 'Amores' or 'Mama.' It's a rather turgid melodrama and except for Bernal and Ana Claudia Talancon (Amelia), the acting is soap opera quality. Also, Padre Amaro's transition from the sacred to the worldly is done so quickly and without much character-driven motivation that it simply doesn't ring true. And, as a sidelight'is it any wonder that this film caused a furor in Mexico with the image on the film's poster of Padre Amaro, in his clerical collar, and Amelia necking in a church pew? On the one hand it is shocking and on the other it is very smart marketing.
'El Crimen del Padre Amaro' is valuable as a political document in that it calls for substantial and humanistic reform. It's a shame that it's director, Carlos Carrera didn't surround the political with the dramatic in a more profound and artistic manner.

Rating:
Summary: A Price Too High To Pay...
Review: Father Amaro (Gael García Bernal) has recently been ordained as a priest for the Catholic Church in Mexico and he has been sent to a small Mexican village where he is suppose to help Father Benito (Sancho Gracia). In between the daily responsibilities Father Amaro meets with other priests and the people of the village. One of the girls of the village, Amelia (Ana Claudia Talancón), seeks Father Amaro's attention as she falls in love with him. These are feelings that Father Amaro desires, but they come with a price that he does not want to pay. Crime of Father Amaro is a strong film that displays some of the many opinions and notions that rest within the Catholic Church. In the end, the audience is to experience a good cinematic event as the story unfolds.

Rating:
Summary: Descent of a Priest
Review: For the most part, this movie is a simple and fairly obvious and predictable morality tale of a young, idealistic priest in Mexico who ultimately becomes part of the corruption of the Church and succumbs to his carnal desires. On that level, it could prove entertaining and/or informative to religious people (which I'm not), as well as people who enjoy seeing the Catholic Church taken down a peg or two. Fortunately, there's more to the movie than that-- it's well acted, the characters are strong, and the visual detail is rich. Moreover, the story of the fall of the priest, simple and predictable as it is, is still compelling. At one point, when he is starting to understand the path he is on, he is seen holding his hand over an oven burner, seeing how long he can tolerate fire. By the end of the movie, Padre Amaro's fall is complete -- he hypocritically leads his congregation in a prayer asking God for forgiveness of sins, all the while having completely disassociated himself from the death of a young girl who died while having his child aborted. Even the corrupt elder Padre Benito turns away in disgust, as the audience must, not at the movie, but the title character.

Rating:
Summary: more please
Review: gael garcia's acting never disappoints ! You feel like what you see on the screen is REAL. Mexican cinema is are gripping and real. This movie is thought provoking and it makes you want to discuss it with everyone, because you know this topic happens all across the world.

Rating:
Summary: Fabuloso
Review: I can't tell you how much I enjoyed this film. Definitely a must-buy. There is less controversy, here, for the sake of cntroversy, and more of a well-told morality tale of how sin and virtue duke it out in real people (even ones trying to be holy) in the real world. The characters were believable, their sins had dire consequences, and you get the sense that their faith will be their only salvation in the long run and in the world to come. Sensual, beautiful and powerful, it made me re-commit myself to holiness and authenticity with every step the Lord gives me.

Rating:
Summary: Above average melodrama
Review: I love Bernal in almost everything he does, but I felt that this vehicle lacks one crucial element: credibility. I never quite believed Bernal as a priest, nor did I believe Amelia to be a pious virgin. As others have observed, no one's hands are clean. Point made, point taken. However, the film devolves into melodrama and is resolved far too easily.

Certainly the film is more complex and provocative than the trailer would have you believe. The production is good, as is the cast. But the film never quite rises to the level of being a great film, settling instead for a focus on taboo-breaking rather than genuine introspection and repentance. Does Padre Amaro learn anything except everyone is corrupt? We'll never know.