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The Crime of Father Amaro

Play trailer Poster for The Crime of Father Amaro R 2002 1h 58m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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63% Tomatometer 82 Reviews 74% Popcornmeter 10,000+ Ratings
Father Amaro (Gael García Bernal), a young Roman Catholic priest, is a new arrival in a small Mexican town. Assigned to help the older Father Benito (Sancho Gracia), Amaro gradually discovers that his elder is not only involved in an affair, but also building a hospital with help from a local drug czar. Struggling with temptation and sin in his own right, Amaro begins a romance with Amelia (Ana Claudia Talancón), a beautiful teen who dotes on him -- but the relationship has dire consequences.
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The Crime of Father Amaro

The Crime of Father Amaro

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Critics Consensus

Though melodramatic, El Crimen del Padre Amaro's critique of the Catholic church is a timely one.

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Critics Reviews

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Glenn Kenny Premiere Magazine 03/04/2003
One of the most relentlessly eye-opening dramas of the year. Go to Full Review Peter Howell Toronto Star 02/14/2003
3/5
For all of the criticisms of the Church in El Crimen del Padre Amaro, Carrera is quick to defend the basic humanity of his characters. Go to Full Review Globe and Mail 02/14/2003
2.5/4
It's not hard to see why Mexican audiences are lapping this up. Go to Full Review Rene Rodriguez Hispanic Magazine 08/24/2023
Its exploration of the struggle between the flesh and the spirit every priest faces is certainly timely. But this obvious, heavy-handed melodrama, which relies on one hackneyed plot twist too many, could have used a little more finesse. Go to Full Review Daniel Kasman d+kaz. intelligent movie reviews 08/07/2004
C-
Thomas Delapa Boulder Weekly 02/16/2004
While the issues the film raises are acutely topical, Carrera seems bent on carrying on a crusade rather than creating a realistic drama. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Red R @Samsara1 Feb 4 The hush hush truth that no one speaks of or can't speak of because truth is controlled even through bad reviews. It’s about what it takes to be a priest. It's about the undoing of a priest through his awakening, the rise of a priest, and a priest that realized that he didn’t need the corruption of the church to serve God. A young lady, and two of the priests are the 3 main characters, that get entangled in a dance of Karma. K.S. See more Geke g @RT40239519 08/07/2024 I am surely liked the context See more Bahad j @RT27093708 08/06/2024 felt like the characters in this movie could feel the happiness and difficulties that they faced in real life. See more dave s @RT68722908 01/29/2022 In The Crime of Padre Amaro, it's hard to blame director Carlos Carrera for his full-frontal assault on the Catholic church and its long-standing love of ecclesiastical hypocrisy. Unfortunately, there are so many storylines to sort through over the course of the movie that the message tends to get diluted. When recently ordained Father Amaro arrives in a small Mexican town to start his life's calling, he finds himself immersed in a cesspool of religious skullduggery and ultimately finds himself in the midst of an affair with a devoted schoolgirl. Had Carrera focused his attention solely on the priest's sexual relationship with the girl instead of getting tangled up on all of the extraneous subplots, there's a chance that the film would have packed more of a punch. As it is, it's only a fraction of what it should have been. See more 09/30/2021 Flawed and sometimes old-fashioned, but remains as a central mexican film for its bravery and smart critique to catholic church and its connections with crime and ¨forbidden¨ pleasures. See more 09/23/2021 El claro ejemplo de que cuando se quiere hacer buen cine mexicano; se hace. See more Read all reviews
The Crime of Father Amaro

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Cast & Crew

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Carlos Carrera

Director

Gael García Bernal

Padre Amaro

Sancho Gracia

Padre Benito

Ana Claudia Talancón

Amelia

Damián Alcázar

Padre Natalio

Angélica Aragón

Augustina Sanjuanera

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The Crime of Father Amaro

GAEL GARCIA BERNAL and ANA CLAUDIA TALANCÓN. A scene from the film THE CRIME OF PADRE AMARO. A scene from the film THE CRIME OF PADRE AMARO. GAEL GARCIA BERNAL. A scene from the film THE CRIME OF PADRE AMARO. A scene from the film THE CRIME OF PADRE AMARO. A scene from the film THE CRIME OF PADRE AMARO. A scene from the film THE CRIME OF PADRE AMARO. A scene from the film THE CRIME OF PADRE AMARO. View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis Father Amaro (Gael García Bernal), a young Roman Catholic priest, is a new arrival in a small Mexican town. Assigned to help the older Father Benito (Sancho Gracia), Amaro gradually discovers that his elder is not only involved in an affair, but also building a hospital with help from a local drug czar. Struggling with temptation and sin in his own right, Amaro begins a romance with Amelia (Ana Claudia Talancón), a beautiful teen who dotes on him -- but the relationship has dire consequences.
Director
Carlos Carrera
Producer
Alfredo Ripstein, Daniel Birman Ripstein
Screenwriter
Vincente Leñero
Distributor
Samuel Goldwyn Company
Production Co
Wanda Films S.L., Warner Brothers/Seven Arts
Rating
R
Genre
Drama
Original Language
Spanish
Release Date (Theaters)
Nov 15, 2002, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Jan 1, 2013
Box Office (Gross USA)
$5.7M
Runtime
1h 58m
Sound Mix
Surround, Dolby SR, Dolby Digital, Dolby A, Dolby Stereo
Aspect Ratio
Flat (1.85:1)
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