This movie began creating controversy even before it was released. Several groups, most of them related to the church, tried to ban it. They did not succeed; instead, tickets were sold out on opening weekend.
In 2002, this film became the highest-grossing Mexican film of all time (at Mexico's domestic box office), when it surpassed previous record holder, Sexo, pudor y lágrimas (1999), with a total gross of US$ 16.3 million.
This movie is based on the 1875 novel of the same name by 'Eça De Queiroz'.