Film review
Gael García Bernal as Padre Amaro is about to commit a crime.
El Crimen del Padre Amaro
A criticism that reviewers have lodged against the Mexican film “El Crimen del Padre Amaro” (“The Crime of Father Amaro”) is that by American standards it isn’t very racy and Father Amaro’s “crime” isn't such a big deal.
It’s true that what little Catholicism-related shockability we Americans had left after Madonna’s heyday in the ’90s pretty much vanished in the wake of the ongoing pedophilic priest scandal.
But the fact that Americans are increasingly difficult to shock doesn’t mean that “Padre Amaro” has absolutely nothing to offer.
It has the muy caliente Gael García Bernal to offer. I could watch him floss his teeth for an hour and a half (I probably just gave some Hollywood executive an idea), but Bernal, besides being a hottie, is a gifted actor. I highly recommend “Y Tu Mama Tambien” and “Amores Perros,” in which Bernal starred. (Both are available on DVD.)
Unfortunately, “Padre Amaro” is inferior to “Y Tu Mama Tambien” and “Amores Perros,” so fans of Bernal expecting “Padre Amaro” to be at least as satisfying as his past work will be disappointed.
But “Padre Amaro” has surpassed the successful “Y Tu Mama Tambien” as one of the (if not the) highest-grossing films in Mexico’s history, and those who like Spanish-language films (as I do) should find “Padre Amaro” worthwhile if for no other reason than to see what the fuss over “Padre Amaro” in Mexico was about.
I suspect that Mexicans have loved “Padre Amaro” so much because it tackles the topics of priests breaking their vows of celibacy; Church officials doing business with criminals; the Church hierarchy’s iron fist (which appears to be getting rusty) that squelches scandals; and The Big One, abortion.
While these topics are old hat in the United States, apparently they’re controversial in Mexico, and “Padre Amaro” needs to be taken on its own terms: A film made for Mexicans, not for Americans. Going to see “Padre Amaro,” I surmise, has been a way for Mexicans to safely defy the Catholic Church.
In “El Crimen del Padre Amaro” a young, newly minted priest, Padre Amaro (Bernal), arrives to serve at a small Mexican parish only to discover that his mentor, Padre Benito (Sancho Gracia), not only has a mistress but that he is taking money from a drug lord to build a hospital. To complicate matters, a beautiful 16-year-old girl (Ana Claudia Talancón) begins to hit on Padre Amaro almost immediately upon his arrival.
The rest of the film chronicles how Padre Amaro responds to these moral dilemmas.
“Padre Amaro’s” message, if it has one, is convoluted, but what I took away from the film is the reminder of the harm – even death – that can come to people when their natural human desires are forbidden by organized religion. (To elaborate further would be to give away the ending of the film.)
Again, however, “Padre Amaro” is no “Y Tu Mama Tambien.” “Padre Amaro” has its good moments, but, given its meaty subject matter, overall it’s surprisingly limp and is not likely to stick with you for very long after you walk out of the theater.
Bernal’s wasted talent and the unfulfilled potential of the subject matter are the real crime of “Padre Amaro.”
My grade: C+
8:59:37 PM 
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