The Crime of Padre Amaro (2002)

Featured Audience Ratings

• Cynthia S

  
  Really good movie. Gael Garcia Bernal is a top of the line actor. This is a well made, well written, and well done film.

• Wahida K

  
  One of the most controversial films ever made

• Dean M

  
  One of the most provocative, captivating and controversial films of the year. An 1875 novel by Portuguese writer Eca de Queiros is updated to modern Mexico, becoming a slick, well-acted melodrama. The film sparked controversy in Mexico for its portrayal of the Catholic church.… More
  One of the most provocative, captivating and controversial films of the year. An 1875 novel by Portuguese writer Eca de Queiros is updated to modern Mexico, becoming a slick, well-acted melodrama. The film sparked controversy in Mexico for its portrayal of the Catholic church. Impressive.

• Mark H

  
  Lurid, one-sided assault detailing corruption within the Catholic church. What a fresh idea! Wildly schizophrenic film abruptly changes focus from one story to the next as it recounts various stories of immoral priests in Latin America, who struggle between their religious vows and… More
  Lurid, one-sided assault detailing corruption within the Catholic church. What a fresh idea! Wildly schizophrenic film abruptly changes focus from one story to the next as it recounts various stories of immoral priests in Latin America, who struggle between their religious vows and earthly desires. Ultimately, nothing is resolved and the audience is left with a lot of unanswered questioned in this thoroughly unsatisfying film.

• vieras e

  
  Being non-Catholic (and non-Christian) I wasn't touched or moved by this film in the way that I probably would have, were I of that religious conviction (and active in that faith). But I can still understand why this film shocked so many when it came out.

• Tsubaki S

  
  Another telenovela passing by as a movie. Buean trabajo Serrano Limon, hiciste ver a medio mundo esta cosa. Por que no ahora una campaña para ir a ver como te ahorcas de una de las campanas de la catedral del zocalo, y asi librarnos de tu inutil existencia? Hasta pagaria por ver eso.

• Lorenzo v

  
  "The Crime of Padre Amaro" is not worthy of the controversy it spawned but is worthy of anyone interested in a subtitled Mexican drama about an ambitious young priest in a rural diocese who succumbs to the desires of the flesh only to find the one transgression leads to… More
  "The Crime of Padre Amaro" is not worthy of the controversy it spawned but is worthy of anyone interested in a subtitled Mexican drama about an ambitious young priest in a rural diocese who succumbs to the desires of the flesh only to find the one transgression leads to another. Although the plot is worn and the story melodramatic and lacking intensity, the film offers an abundance of colorful characters, rich dramatic textures, solid performances, and good artistic and technical execution. Will play best to young adult audiences and foreign film buffs.

• Fernando Rafael Q

  
  EL CRIMEN DEL PADRE AMARO, Mexico's contender for Best Foreign Film at the 2002 Academy Awards is definitely overrated.. it's not a bad movie but it definitely didn't deserve all the awards or the title for highest grossing film ever in Mexico, there are a lot of holes… More
  EL CRIMEN DEL PADRE AMARO, Mexico's contender for Best Foreign Film at the 2002 Academy Awards is definitely overrated.. it's not a bad movie but it definitely didn't deserve all the awards or the title for highest grossing film ever in Mexico, there are a lot of holes in the script.. Gael García Bernal is not that good, the camera work and the photography could be better also, but the performances by the women Ana Claudia Talancón (who btw is also gorgeous), Angelica Aragon and Luisa Huertas are REALLY good...special mention to one of Mexico's greatest acting talents (if not THE greatest) Damian Alcazar; his performance, though brief, it's awesome. El Crimen... delivers really intense drama sequences and very shocking moments, other than the aspects i already mentioned, it's a so-so film...

• Megan S

  
  *SPOILERS* I can't review this without giving the whole plot away. so i liked the movie. but it was rather disappointing. but the more i think about it, the more it's probably more true to life the way it was. so anyway. said "handsome priest" ends up getting… More
  *SPOILERS* I can't review this without giving the whole plot away. so i liked the movie. but it was rather disappointing. but the more i think about it, the more it's probably more true to life the way it was. so anyway. said "handsome priest" ends up getting involved with this girl. duh. otherwise there would be no crime. he seems all pious and good and everything and keeps preaching (no pun intended) to Amelia about their love. but everytime she says something about going public or whatever he keeps talking about how his job/life as a priest is more important to him than her. so then girl gets pregnant. and of course he doesnt want to deal with it. so she doesnt tell anyone and goes back to her old boyfriend who wanted to marry her earlier in the movie. but he says he doesnt love her anymore. so the priest convinces her to get an abortion. well it's in mexico, they dont exactly have the best medical facilities, and when you want an abortion in secret you go to some shady clinic. so of course the abortion goes wrong and she ends up bleeding to death. and the bastard still doesnt confess. he blames it on the ex-boyfriend. saying the ex-boyfriend got her pregnant and he found out she was somewhere trying to get an abortion so he went to "save" her. bastard. bastard. bastard. in the beginning when they were starting the affair i didnt want them to get found out. but at the end i wanted the cranky old woman to interrupt the church service (as she had done on other occasions) and tell everyone what the priest had done. and at the same time there is all this political drama going on with two other priests concerning guerillas and money laundering for a new hospital. and it was so hypocritical and it pissed me off. so it wasnt the movie that annoyed me, but the situations in it. but as i said before, i'm sure that the lies and deceit and covering up is more true to life than people actually being held accountable for their actions when they are being a BASTARD. ok, i'm done.

• Aaron N

  
  Finally, a real story about priests that doesn't involve little boys. Instead, it involves temptation, secret drug money, guerillas in the mountains, you know...average stuff. I kept thinking about a Telemundo soap opera through out, but the acting is strong enough, and besides… More
  Finally, a real story about priests that doesn't involve little boys. Instead, it involves temptation, secret drug money, guerillas in the mountains, you know...average stuff. I kept thinking about a Telemundo soap opera through out, but the acting is strong enough, and besides the love plot, I was intrigued by the other politics going on inside the church.

• meril l

  
  Intense fare from Gael, as usual. I didn't understand a lot of what was going on because I watched it in Spanish, but still... love movies like this because it seems like they are there to tell a story well, instead of make money - i.e. this is what the movie industry everywhere… More
  Intense fare from Gael, as usual. I didn't understand a lot of what was going on because I watched it in Spanish, but still... love movies like this because it seems like they are there to tell a story well, instead of make money - i.e. this is what the movie industry everywhere should look like!

• Jonathan G

  
  Made me cringe and shudder in disgust.

• Daisy M

  
  El Crimen Del Padre Amaro a Mexican movie about corruption in the Catholic Church and the personal struggle of priests between obedience and temptation. Padre Amaro perfectly role for Gael Garcia Bernal, a young ambitious priest sent to a small town to work in his first church.He had… More
  El Crimen Del Padre Amaro a Mexican movie about corruption in the Catholic Church and the personal struggle of priests between obedience and temptation. Padre Amaro perfectly role for Gael Garcia Bernal, a young ambitious priest sent to a small town to work in his first church.He had a passion to serve the spiritual needs of the people in this community,but he soon discovered that the other priests were involved in scandal, from hiding guerrillas to money laundering from powerful drug lords.I recommend this movie for people with an open-mind.It was quite beautiful. It had a well written love story with a sad message. It had great performances by the entire cast and beautiful cinematography. The characters were as realistic as possible, and the direction was just superb.

• Sunil J

  
  A solid but odd movie. Bernal is great and makes it worth the watch.

• Eduardo C

  
  Overrated to the 5th power. Well acted and photographed but decidedly pedestrian and murderously conventional melodrama. The titutlar father's 'fall' is pathetically handled, and while the film truly believes it has something to say it is nothing that hasn't been… More
  Overrated to the 5th power. Well acted and photographed but decidedly pedestrian and murderously conventional melodrama. The titutlar father's 'fall' is pathetically handled, and while the film truly believes it has something to say it is nothing that hasn't been said before by far superior works in every other artistic medium. I managed to see this before the 'scandal' set in and disliked it very much, which makes the subsequent hype all the more mystifying to me.

Read all 15 featured audience ratings