El crimen del Padre Amaro
Encyclopedia
El crimen del padre Amaro (The Crime of Padre Amaro and The Crime of Father Amaro) is a 2002 film directed by Carlos Carrera
. It is loosely based on the novel O Crime do Padre Amaro
(1875) by 19th-century Portuguese
writer José Maria de Eça de Queiroz.
When it was released, El Crimen del Padre Amaro caused a controversy on the part of Roman Catholic groups in Mexico who tried to stop the film from being screened. They failed, and the film became the biggest box office draw ever in the country, beating previous record holder, Sexo, pudor y lágrimas
(1999).
In the United States of America, this film also enjoyed commercial success; this film's United States
distributor paid less than $1 million to acquire the film's North American
distribution rights, and the film went on to gross $5.7 million in limited theatrical release in the United States
.
The film starred Gael García Bernal
, Ana Claudia Talancón
and Sancho Gracia
. It premiered on 16 August 2002 in Mexico City
.
stars as the newly ordained Padre Amaro, who arrives in Los Reyes, a small town in the fictional state of Aldama, to start his life serving the church. He is a protege of the ruthless political bishop, while the local priest, Father Benito is having a years-long affair with a local restaurant owner. Benito is building a large hospital and recuperation centre, which is partly funded by a drug lord. Meanwhile, another priest in the area, Father Natalio is under investigation for supporting left-wing insurgents in his secluded rural church area.
Amelia (Ana Claudia Talancón
), a local sixteen-year-old girl, teaches catechism to the young children in the town, and is the daughter of the restaurant owner who is having an affair with Benito. At the start of the story, she is contemplating marriage to Rubén (Andrés Montiel
), a young journalist beginning his career, but tension is depicted as Rubén is a non-believer and Amelia strongly Catholic. Rubén's father is an avowed anti-clerical atheist who is unpopular within the town for his strong opinions.
Young Amaro soon becomes infatuated with the beautiful Amelia, who is strongly attracted to him and asks awkward questions about love and sin in the confessional, and then touches his hand while serving him at the restaurant. The newspaper is tipped off about Benito baptising the drug lord's newborn child, and Rubén is asked to write about the scandals in his home town. With the aid of mountains of evidence compiled by his father, he publishes a story about Benito's hospital being a front for money laundering. The church has Amaro write a denial and Rubén is then sacked by the newspaper under pressure from the Catholic lobby. Amelia then phones Rubén and dumps him, berating him with a string of obscenities. Rubén's family home is vandalised by devout Catholics and when he returns home, he assaults Amaro when he sees him in the street. Amaro decides not to press charges, so Rubén avoids jail time.
The film delves into the struggle priests have between desire and obedience. Amaro is plagued with guilt about his feelings for Amelia. When the local press begins to reveal the secrets of the parish, Amaro turns to his superior, Padre Benito (Sancho Gracia
).
Amaro and Amelia start an affair, and Amaro cites verses from the Song of Songs
as he seduces her. Later he drapes a robe meant for the statue of Virgin Mary over Amelia during a secret meeting. After Amelia becomes pregnant
with Amaro's child, he tries to convince her to leave town to protect him. Later, she decides to try and trick the town by trying to pass off Rubén as the father. She tries to reunite with him and organise a wedding at short notice so that the baby can be attributed to him, but he tells her he is no longer interested. When Benito threatens to report Amaro, Amaro threatens to retaliate over Benito's affair. Eventually, Amaro arranges for a backstreet abortion
in the middle of the night. It goes wrong and Amelia begins bleeding uncontrollably. Amaro drives her to the hospital in a large city, but she is already dead before he gets there. The lurid details of the case are suppressed; Benito and a cynical old woman know what has happened. A false story is passed around the town, blaming Rubén for impregnating Amelia before marriage, and praising Amaro for breaking into the abortion clinic and liberating Amelia in a failed attempt to save her and her child. Amaro presides over Amelia's funeral; the church is packed with mourners. Benito, now using a wheelchair, leaves in disgust.
As a free adaptation of José Maria de Eça de Queiroz's novel, the film itself is also controversial for not being faithful to the original novel. For instance, Eça's Amelia is older (aged 23) than her film equivalent, who is only 16.
and a Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film
in 2003.
Carlos Carrera
Carlos Carrera is a Mexican film director and screenwriter. He directed El crimen del Padre Amaro , which was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film....
. It is loosely based on the novel O Crime do Padre Amaro
O Crime do Padre Amaro
O Crime do Padre Amaro is a novel by the 19th-century Portuguese writer José Maria de Eça de Queiroz. It was first published in 1875 to great controversy.-Plot summary:...
(1875) by 19th-century Portuguese
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
writer José Maria de Eça de Queiroz.
When it was released, El Crimen del Padre Amaro caused a controversy on the part of Roman Catholic groups in Mexico who tried to stop the film from being screened. They failed, and the film became the biggest box office draw ever in the country, beating previous record holder, Sexo, pudor y lágrimas
Sexo, pudor y lágrimas
Sexo, pudor y lágrimas is a Mexican film, the second of the so-called New Era of the Cinema of Mexico . It was the first film directed by Antonio Serrano....
(1999).
In the United States of America, this film also enjoyed commercial success; this film's United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
distributor paid less than $1 million to acquire the film's North American
North American
North American generally refers to an entity, people, group, or attribute of North America, especially of the United States and Canada together.-Culture:*North American English, a collective term used to describe American English and Canadian English...
distribution rights, and the film went on to gross $5.7 million in limited theatrical release in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
The film starred Gael García Bernal
Gael García Bernal
Gael García Bernal is a Mexican film actor and director.-Early life:García Bernal was born in Guadalajara, Mexico, the son of Patricia Bernal, an actress and former model, and José Ángel García, an actor and director. His stepfather is Sergio Yazbek, whom his mother married when García Bernal was...
, Ana Claudia Talancón
Ana Claudia Talancón
Ana Claudia Talancón is a Mexican actress and model. She first started acting in her home town, Cancún, Quintana Roo.- Early life :...
and Sancho Gracia
Sancho Gracia
Sancho Gracia is a Spanish motion picture and television actor.He made his acting debut in France in the 1963 film L'Autre femme opposite Annie Girardot. Since then he has appeared in more than eighty motion pictures including several Hollywood productions during the 1970s and in 1999's Outlaw...
. It premiered on 16 August 2002 in Mexico City
Mexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
.
Plot
The film is set in modern times. Gael García BernalGael García Bernal
Gael García Bernal is a Mexican film actor and director.-Early life:García Bernal was born in Guadalajara, Mexico, the son of Patricia Bernal, an actress and former model, and José Ángel García, an actor and director. His stepfather is Sergio Yazbek, whom his mother married when García Bernal was...
stars as the newly ordained Padre Amaro, who arrives in Los Reyes, a small town in the fictional state of Aldama, to start his life serving the church. He is a protege of the ruthless political bishop, while the local priest, Father Benito is having a years-long affair with a local restaurant owner. Benito is building a large hospital and recuperation centre, which is partly funded by a drug lord. Meanwhile, another priest in the area, Father Natalio is under investigation for supporting left-wing insurgents in his secluded rural church area.
Amelia (Ana Claudia Talancón
Ana Claudia Talancón
Ana Claudia Talancón is a Mexican actress and model. She first started acting in her home town, Cancún, Quintana Roo.- Early life :...
), a local sixteen-year-old girl, teaches catechism to the young children in the town, and is the daughter of the restaurant owner who is having an affair with Benito. At the start of the story, she is contemplating marriage to Rubén (Andrés Montiel
Andrés Montiel
Andrés Montiel is a Mexican actor born in Guadalajara, Jalisco.He started acting professionally on stage at age twenty, developing solid theatre work. Since year 2001, he has also begun to star in films...
), a young journalist beginning his career, but tension is depicted as Rubén is a non-believer and Amelia strongly Catholic. Rubén's father is an avowed anti-clerical atheist who is unpopular within the town for his strong opinions.
Young Amaro soon becomes infatuated with the beautiful Amelia, who is strongly attracted to him and asks awkward questions about love and sin in the confessional, and then touches his hand while serving him at the restaurant. The newspaper is tipped off about Benito baptising the drug lord's newborn child, and Rubén is asked to write about the scandals in his home town. With the aid of mountains of evidence compiled by his father, he publishes a story about Benito's hospital being a front for money laundering. The church has Amaro write a denial and Rubén is then sacked by the newspaper under pressure from the Catholic lobby. Amelia then phones Rubén and dumps him, berating him with a string of obscenities. Rubén's family home is vandalised by devout Catholics and when he returns home, he assaults Amaro when he sees him in the street. Amaro decides not to press charges, so Rubén avoids jail time.
The film delves into the struggle priests have between desire and obedience. Amaro is plagued with guilt about his feelings for Amelia. When the local press begins to reveal the secrets of the parish, Amaro turns to his superior, Padre Benito (Sancho Gracia
Sancho Gracia
Sancho Gracia is a Spanish motion picture and television actor.He made his acting debut in France in the 1963 film L'Autre femme opposite Annie Girardot. Since then he has appeared in more than eighty motion pictures including several Hollywood productions during the 1970s and in 1999's Outlaw...
).
Amaro and Amelia start an affair, and Amaro cites verses from the Song of Songs
Song of songs
Song of Songs, also known as the Song of Solomon, is a book of the Hebrew Bible or Old Testament. It may also refer to:In music:* Song of songs , the debut album by David and the Giants* A generic term for medleysPlays...
as he seduces her. Later he drapes a robe meant for the statue of Virgin Mary over Amelia during a secret meeting. After Amelia becomes pregnant
Pregnancy
Pregnancy refers to the fertilization and development of one or more offspring, known as a fetus or embryo, in a woman's uterus. In a pregnancy, there can be multiple gestations, as in the case of twins or triplets...
with Amaro's child, he tries to convince her to leave town to protect him. Later, she decides to try and trick the town by trying to pass off Rubén as the father. She tries to reunite with him and organise a wedding at short notice so that the baby can be attributed to him, but he tells her he is no longer interested. When Benito threatens to report Amaro, Amaro threatens to retaliate over Benito's affair. Eventually, Amaro arranges for a backstreet abortion
Abortion
Abortion is defined as the termination of pregnancy by the removal or expulsion from the uterus of a fetus or embryo prior to viability. An abortion can occur spontaneously, in which case it is usually called a miscarriage, or it can be purposely induced...
in the middle of the night. It goes wrong and Amelia begins bleeding uncontrollably. Amaro drives her to the hospital in a large city, but she is already dead before he gets there. The lurid details of the case are suppressed; Benito and a cynical old woman know what has happened. A false story is passed around the town, blaming Rubén for impregnating Amelia before marriage, and praising Amaro for breaking into the abortion clinic and liberating Amelia in a failed attempt to save her and her child. Amaro presides over Amelia's funeral; the church is packed with mourners. Benito, now using a wheelchair, leaves in disgust.
Cast
- Gael García BernalGael García BernalGael García Bernal is a Mexican film actor and director.-Early life:García Bernal was born in Guadalajara, Mexico, the son of Patricia Bernal, an actress and former model, and José Ángel García, an actor and director. His stepfather is Sergio Yazbek, whom his mother married when García Bernal was...
- Padre Amaro - Ana Claudia TalancónAna Claudia TalancónAna Claudia Talancón is a Mexican actress and model. She first started acting in her home town, Cancún, Quintana Roo.- Early life :...
- Amelia - Sancho GraciaSancho GraciaSancho Gracia is a Spanish motion picture and television actor.He made his acting debut in France in the 1963 film L'Autre femme opposite Annie Girardot. Since then he has appeared in more than eighty motion pictures including several Hollywood productions during the 1970s and in 1999's Outlaw...
- Padre Benito - Angélica AragónAngélica AragónAngélica Aragón is a Mexican actress of telenovelas and such films as Dune, A Walk in the Clouds, Bella, Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights, Vivir un poco, Mirada de mujer, Novia que te vea, and the blockbuster film Sexo, pudor y lágrimas.-Early life:Aragón was born Angélica Espinoza Stransky in Mexico...
- Sanjuanera - Luisa Huertas - Dionisia
- Ernesto Gómez CruzErnesto Gómez CruzErnesto Gómez Cruz is a prolific Mexican actor with more than 154 films.He has been nominated several times for the Ariel Award...
- Bishop - Gastón Melo - Martin
- Damián AlcázarDamián AlcázarDamián Alcázar is a Mexican actor.To an English-speaking audience, he is probably best known as Lord Sopespian in the 2008 film The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian.- Filmography :...
- Padre Natalio - Andrés MontielAndrés MontielAndrés Montiel is a Mexican actor born in Guadalajara, Jalisco.He started acting professionally on stage at age twenty, developing solid theatre work. Since year 2001, he has also begun to star in films...
- Rubén
Controversy
The film sparked a controversy in Mexico at the time of its release, with Catholic bishops and organizations asking people not to see it and demanding that the government ban it.As a free adaptation of José Maria de Eça de Queiroz's novel, the film itself is also controversial for not being faithful to the original novel. For instance, Eça's Amelia is older (aged 23) than her film equivalent, who is only 16.
Awards
The film was nominated for a total of 32 awards with 19 wins and was nominated for an OscarAcademy Awards
An Academy Award, also known as an Oscar, is an accolade bestowed by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers...
and a Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film
Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film
The Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film is one of the awards presented at the Golden Globes, an American film awards ceremony.Until 1986, it was known as the Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Film, meaning that any non-American film could be honoured...
in 2003.