The Crime of Padre Amaro
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Ana Claudia Talancón, Angélica Aragón, Gael García Bernal, Luisa Huertas, Sancho GraciaBrand: Sony
DVD: Region Code 99
Audio: English (Unknown), Dolby Digital 5.1; English (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 5.1; Spanish (Original Language), Dolby Digital 5.1; English (Dubbed), Dolby Digital 5.1
Format: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: Anamorphic Widescreen, 1.85:1
Running Time: 118 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2003-04-22
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Movie Reviews of The Crime of Padre Amaro
Movie Review: The Songs of Solomon never knew such irony
Summary: 5 Stars
Quick synopsis: When young Father Amaro arrives into town, tragedy quickly unfolds herself in a long, twisted series of seemingly minute events. As he forges friendships within his new diocese, Amaro makes decisions which will bring his character into crisis.
From the moment we are introduced to Father Amaro, we quickly see that he is not a fighter. On the way into town, the bus is robbed by local banditos. The man sitting next to Father Amaro is looted from his life savings. Quiet, perhaps cautious, Father Amaro doesn't seem moved one way or another, although he gives the man some pocket change. In town, Amaro is quickly introduced to a cast of characters, which include the senor priest, the town's "old cat lady" the priests' housekeeper and her beautiful, pious daughter, Amelia, whose boyfriend, Reuben, works as the local journalist. It is quickly evident that all is not as it seems. Father Bendito, with hopes of raising a bone fide hospital, has engaged in questionable money transactions with the mayor and local cartels. Meanwhile rumors of their fellow father, Father Netal, being involved with the mountainside guerrillas cirrculate and draw attention from the Bishop.
As Father Amaro befriends his new parish, he becomes involved with the hospital, specifically with the efforts of suppressing the unwanted attention from Ruben's story which has uncovered, in no uncertain terms, the unsavory "blood money" donations between the local cartel and Father Bendito. Eager to please the Bishop and secure his career, Amaro expediently solves the problem. He also acts on the Bishops behalf in an attempt to corral the wandering shepherd, Father Netal, who seems to have become less obedient and increasingly vigilante. Meanwhile, his personal life takes a turn as he notices his beautiful parishioner, Amelia, whose role in the church increasingly mirrors that of her mother's.
Carrera's slow build towards the plot's inevitable zenith is as quiet and creeping as the growth of the characters. Each personality is as guileless as the person it reflects, each character is ruled by their sincerity. The tainted Father Bendito is as genuine as the innocent yet sensual Amelia. The Bishop is as straightforward and sincere in his demands as the town "witch" is with her underhanded offers. The only character who is truly corrupt is the handsome, pure-looking Father Amaro, who consciously prioritizes himself and his well-being over those most entrusted to his care. In contrast to the film's understated Father Netal, whose backwater simplicity belies Amaro's quick accent into favor, Netal's commitment to his mountainside parishoners echos faintly of the ministerial Jesus. Besides Netal, Father Amaro is painted for his worth- a white washed tomb.
Considering the deeply religious tamber of the film, I took personal relish in the fact that the only scripture verses recited throughout were the Songs of Solomon, quoted by Father Amaro during his inflamed acts of carnality. All the other spiritual maxims were the formal recitations of the catechism, psalter prayers or church canticles. When a young child asks the Sunday School teachers what fornication means in his catechism, we receive a more genuine answer upon the heady, praying lips of Amaro as he quotes the Songs in a heat of passion. The fact that the only person who reported the truth was the agnostic son of the town's lone atheist also sets a biting tone. In the end, Father Amaro takes over the ailing Bendito's position and looks over a congregation which can no longer hide behind a veil of innocence. He is trapped within his own web- the church itself.
Summary of The Crime of Padre Amaro
CRIME OF PADRE AMARO - DVD MovieThis controversial film follows a handsome young priest, Padre Amaro (played by Gael Garcia Bernal from Y Tu Mamá También and Amores Perros), who arrives in a small town and finds himself surrounded by hypocrisy and corruption--and also finds himself tempted by a beautiful young woman who confesses that when she "touches herself," she thinks of Jesus. What makes El Crimen del Padre Amaro (The Crime of Father Amaro) particularly effective is that Amaro is no innocent--he skillfully forces a newspaper publisher to retract a scandalous story about the Church and is willing to take extreme steps to preserve his career. Some of the movie's harsher digs at the Catholic Church have provoked accusations of prejudice; but though Padre Amaro portrays a world in which no one's hands are clean, it also finds redeeming qualities in every character. A complex, completely engrossing movie. --Bret Fetzer
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