A newly ordained priest in Mexico struggles with moral dilemmas and personal conflicts as he tries to cover up a public relations fiasco involving drug lords and the Church.
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Stars Gael Garcia (Amores Perros) as the title character. He's a newly ordained priest sent to work in a small church community in Mexico by the Bishop. He arrives wide eyed and full of optimism hoping to serve God and his parish, however, he quickly butts heads with the elder priest in charge, Father Benito. Benito is known to accept drug money from the local drug lord in order to subsidise the construction of a new hospital and in addition is carrying on an affair with a local woman. To complicate matters, father Amaro soon finds himself in a love affair with the young Sunday school teacher. After a newspaper report, linking the drug lords with the Church, is published, Father Amaro is then trying to cover up and mend the public relations fiasco. Amaro has also been asked by the Bishop to reign in the renegade priest who has affiliations with guerrilla soldiers. Needless to say, moral dilemmas abound and Father Amaro's idealism is put to the test by personal, political and church pressures.
"Adaptation of the homonymous book by Eça de Queiroz, published in 1875. 'El crimen del Padre Amaro' is directed by Mexican Carlos Carrera, who won the Palme d'Or at Cannes for the short film 'The Hero', in 1994, and features Gael Garcia Bernal ('Amores Brutos') in the role of the priest who falls into temptation. The production was a box office and critical success, as well as receiving an Oscar nomination for Best Foreign Film. The story manages to be faithful to Eça de Queiroz's work, pleasing those who read it and surprising those who only watched the movie. Gael Garcia Bernal is very good in his role, as is Ana Claudia Talancón, the female protagonist of the plot. The two live a dilemma from beginning to end, and come into conflict with faith - driven by the impulse to go against religion to live a great love. An interesting feature to reflect on conservatism, tradition and also desire."