Gael Garcia Bernal is a young actor of the moment, having made his mark in several interesting Mexican and Spanish films before tackling Hollywood. He is good at playing innocents who are about to learn that life is not so pure and wholesome as they imagined. In this film he plays a high-principled but weak-willed young Mexican Catholic priest who sets out to be a saint but becomes just another compromised clergyman. The story is taken from a 19th century Portuguese novel though updated to the present day. The film was not warmly received by certain Catholic activists who wanted it suppressed; in reality they are 125 years too late. The keen young Padre Amaro (Bernal) is sent by his worldly Bishop to a provincial town for some exposure to parish life. The local priest, Padre Benito (Sancho Gracia), is up to his eyeballs in sleaze. He is sleeping with local restaurant proprietor Augustina who provides his meals, and laundering money for the local drug baron via donations to his pride and joy, a local hospital under construction. He is also pressuring another local priest, Padre Natalio (Damián Alcázar), to stop supporting local guerrilla activity directed at the drug lords, and is suppressing unfavourable newspaper coverage of his activities. Padre Amaro is shocked at all this but nevertheless manages to fall in love with Augustina's 16 year old daughter Amelia (Ana Claudia Talancón). Amelia is easy prey - she becomes aroused just thinking of Jesus and the Padre arranges a back room in his sacristan's workshop for their trysts. But it's hard to keep a secret in a small town; first Padre Benito finds out and then the egg hits the proverbial fan as Amelia discovers she is pregnant.
The story does indeed not put the Church in a favourable light. The venalities of the clergy are exposed but what is perhaps more telling is that the faithful are faithful because they know no better. The faith has become a way of keeping people ignorant.
As an adaptation from the novel the story is told in a straightforward narrative fashion. The main performances are very strong and the intimacy between Padre Amaro and Amelia beautifully portrayed. There are other minor interesting characters but there is not much space in a movie treatment for them.
The story does indeed not put the Church in a favourable light. The venalities of the clergy are exposed but what is perhaps more telling is that the faithful are faithful because they know no better. The faith has become a way of keeping people ignorant.
As an adaptation from the novel the story is told in a straightforward narrative fashion. The main performances are very strong and the intimacy between Padre Amaro and Amelia beautifully portrayed. There are other minor interesting characters but there is not much space in a movie treatment for them.