I am not surprised that the Catholic church in Mexico found this film to be offensive. After all, it seems to be highly critical of the notion of celibacy and shows that just about all the priests in the film are hypocrites. So, at the outset, this film loses a large portion of its audience.
Father Amaro (Gael García Bernal) is a very young priest who is on his way to his first parish. Soon after arriving, he becomes the intermediary between a renegade priest who spends time with EVERYONE (including drug lords) and the Bishop who wants to discipline him or bring him into compliance. However, choosing Father Amaro is, in hindsight, not a great idea, as Amaro is also outside the teachings of the Church. Why? Because Amaro has begun a sexual relation with Amelia (Ana Claudia Talancón)--one that will end in tragedy. In addition to these plots is a smaller one where you learn that Amaro's immediate supervisor himself is involved in romantic relationship of his own.
This is a well made film but its message is a bit muddled for my taste. If the movie is asking for a debate on celibacy within the priesthood, it's case is confusing. Amaro is NOT just a guy in love but a genuinely bad person as you'll see by the end of the film. Additionally, the hot sex scenes make it a film that doesn't seem like it wants a dialog about celibacy--it is much more about hypocrisy. While I clearly understand why it chose that path, it makes the movie, to me, much less impactful. It's easy to say that the priests are all evil--it's tougher to say that the Church itself is in need of reform. Overall, well made but a film that could have been better--which is strange, as it was nominated for the Best Foreign Language Oscar (though I must admit that 2003 was a very weak year for this category). Worth seeing but highly offensive.
Father Amaro (Gael García Bernal) is a very young priest who is on his way to his first parish. Soon after arriving, he becomes the intermediary between a renegade priest who spends time with EVERYONE (including drug lords) and the Bishop who wants to discipline him or bring him into compliance. However, choosing Father Amaro is, in hindsight, not a great idea, as Amaro is also outside the teachings of the Church. Why? Because Amaro has begun a sexual relation with Amelia (Ana Claudia Talancón)--one that will end in tragedy. In addition to these plots is a smaller one where you learn that Amaro's immediate supervisor himself is involved in romantic relationship of his own.
This is a well made film but its message is a bit muddled for my taste. If the movie is asking for a debate on celibacy within the priesthood, it's case is confusing. Amaro is NOT just a guy in love but a genuinely bad person as you'll see by the end of the film. Additionally, the hot sex scenes make it a film that doesn't seem like it wants a dialog about celibacy--it is much more about hypocrisy. While I clearly understand why it chose that path, it makes the movie, to me, much less impactful. It's easy to say that the priests are all evil--it's tougher to say that the Church itself is in need of reform. Overall, well made but a film that could have been better--which is strange, as it was nominated for the Best Foreign Language Oscar (though I must admit that 2003 was a very weak year for this category). Worth seeing but highly offensive.