The Crime of Father Amaro
Released 2002
Stars Gael Garcia Bernal, Ana Claudia Talacnon, Sancho Gracia, Damian Alcazar
Directed by Carlos Carrera
Throughout its long and occasionally inglorious history, the Catholic Church has been plagued by charges of corruption. Reforms, both large and small, have arrived every so-often to correct some of the most grievous infractions, but, even the most wide-ranging (such as Martin Luther's Reformation, which led to the creation of the Protestant Church) have been unable to excise entirely the moral cancer that is inevitable in any power structure. For as long as there are followers of the Catholic religion, the men of the cloth will wield a tremendous amount of influence. And with that influence comes the temptation – sometimes rejected, sometimes indulged – to abuse it. The Crime of Father Amaro is not an indictment of the Catholic Church as a whole, but a thought-provoking look at what can happen when decent individuals are seduced by the power of their position.
Padre Amaro (Gael Garcia Bernal, who became a sex symbol in Mexico after starring in Y Tu Mama Tambien) is a young priest on the rise. He has come to a small, backwater town to work under the tutelage of the aging local priest, Padre Benito (Sancho Gracia). Initially, Padre Amaro seems to be a paragon of virtue – the perfect choice to root out corruption in the local institution – until it becomes clear that his ambition allows him to be manipulated by the regional bishop, who is in bed with drug lords. Padre Amaro turns a blind eye to Padre Benito's money laundering and an affair he is conducting with a parishioner. And, while continuing to hear confessions and serve communion, Padre Amaro enters into a sexual relationship with a young, pretty girl named Amelia (Ana Claudia Talancon), who is enraptured as much by his closeness to God as by his good looks.
Summary by James Berardinelli
I liked how this movie treats its priests as ordinary men. Many of the congregation members treat the priests as saints, but the movie knows better. It doesn't vilify or deify them, but it paints an ugly picture of simple men who become corrupted by their powerful positions. It also shows how easily the church's bureaucracy loses control of its priests--except when one interferes with its money supply like Father Natalio. Some may see this as a cynical view of the church, but I think it's realistic. It makes the priests human and shows how easily they can be corrupted in a country like Mexico where they're so powerful. It portrays the church as an organization more interested in power than the spiritual well-being of its members, which I've long suspected to be true. It also shows them willing to do anything necessary to maintain its public image and to squash controversy--anything except addressing their problems, that is. That's become very apparent in regard to their sex scandals that they've covered up for decades. They tried to deal with the issue recently, but, in the end, they still refused to take steps to prevent it. At any rate, the movie is entertaining while dealing with these issues. It toys with us by making us think Amelia is the siren who's going to corrupt Father Amaro, when it's the other way around. It becomes a little melodramatic at the end, but it's a good film with something to say. --Bill Alward, July 11, 2003