There was all sorts of controversy when this film was made and even before it opened there were protests and while I do see some of the points they make it makes me think that its more realistic than the church would like to admit to. Story is about a young priest who is a protege of the bishop and is sent to a city called Los Reyes. Gael Garcia Bernal plays Father Amaro and he is sent to a church to learn the ways with a more experienced priest named Father Benito (Sancho Gracia). Quickly he learns the church is laundering drug money to help finance a new hospital and the mayor and his wife are even in on it. Also, Father Amaro notices that Father Benito is sleeping with a woman named Sanjuanera (Angelica Aragon) who runs a local restaurant. Sanjuanera has a daughter named Amelia (Ana Claudia Talancon) who is quickly smitten with Amaro and he also is attracted to her. The two of them start meeting in secret places to have sex and later Amelia gets pregnant. Amaro tells her that he has no intention of leaving the priesthood and marrying her and convinces her to get an abortion.
*****SPOILER ALERT***** Father Amaro drives her to a remote area in the jungle where abortions are performed but it ends horribly as Amelia bleeds to death during a hemorrhage. Father Amaro never admits to anyone that he was the one that got Amelia pregnant but Father Benito knows he is responsible. This film is technically very well made and the scenery adds a very realistic quality to the look of the film. One of the big problems I had with the story is how Father Amaro seems to go back and forth in his religious convictions. Their is no question that he wants to be a priest and remain one but at times during the film his actions seem out of character. At one point he screams at Amelia and slaps her. Its a scene that is just not convincing because the rest of the film he is the opposite. Why at that moment would he be prone to such a violent outburst? Its inconsistent to the rest of the film. But I did understand how this character did change for other reasons. He was becoming more like Father Benito and the way that the church has been changing in our times for the better or worse. The film does a good job of showing that priests are very human and behave in a human way instead of being some pillar of strength for people to look up to. I think the film overdoes it on some levels though. All the priests use the "F" word in just about every sentence they speak. Even the bishop uses it when talking about another priest who is in trouble. I thought that the performances were solid especially by Bernal who has emerged in the last two years or so as maybe the leading actor to come out of South America. He was terrific in "Y Tu Mama Tambien" and this is another interesting performance on his already impressive resume. While I had mixed emotions about the story I do recognize the effort that was put in and I hope more challenging films like this are made. Hit or miss, this is what filmmaking should be about!
*****SPOILER ALERT***** Father Amaro drives her to a remote area in the jungle where abortions are performed but it ends horribly as Amelia bleeds to death during a hemorrhage. Father Amaro never admits to anyone that he was the one that got Amelia pregnant but Father Benito knows he is responsible. This film is technically very well made and the scenery adds a very realistic quality to the look of the film. One of the big problems I had with the story is how Father Amaro seems to go back and forth in his religious convictions. Their is no question that he wants to be a priest and remain one but at times during the film his actions seem out of character. At one point he screams at Amelia and slaps her. Its a scene that is just not convincing because the rest of the film he is the opposite. Why at that moment would he be prone to such a violent outburst? Its inconsistent to the rest of the film. But I did understand how this character did change for other reasons. He was becoming more like Father Benito and the way that the church has been changing in our times for the better or worse. The film does a good job of showing that priests are very human and behave in a human way instead of being some pillar of strength for people to look up to. I think the film overdoes it on some levels though. All the priests use the "F" word in just about every sentence they speak. Even the bishop uses it when talking about another priest who is in trouble. I thought that the performances were solid especially by Bernal who has emerged in the last two years or so as maybe the leading actor to come out of South America. He was terrific in "Y Tu Mama Tambien" and this is another interesting performance on his already impressive resume. While I had mixed emotions about the story I do recognize the effort that was put in and I hope more challenging films like this are made. Hit or miss, this is what filmmaking should be about!