The Bottom Line
I like "The Crime of Padre Amaro" for its memorable imagery, fascinating characters, and noirish feel. But I’ll admit that it sometimes feels like a soap opera and is occasionally campy.
Pros
- Gael García Bernal is charismatic
- Memorable images, many interesting characters
- Cynical view of human nature gives noirish feel
Cons
- Sometimes feels like a soap opera
- Occasionally campy
- May be offensive to some Roman Catholics
Description
- DVD containing Mexican melodrama "The Crime of Padre Amaro" (2002)
- Movie nominated for Academy Award in Best Foreign Language Film category
- DVD permits watching film either with original Spanish dialogue or dubbed into English
- DVD provides optional English or Spanish or French subtitles
- Film stars Gael García Bernal ("Y Tu Mamá También," "Amores Perros")
- DVD provides a few special features
- Excellent picture quality
- Excellent sound quality
Guide Review - "The Crime of Padre Amaro" DVD Review
In this movie, Gael García Bernal is charismatic as Father Amaro, a young Roman Catholic priest in a diocese that is linked to drugs and guerrillas. While dealing with these problems, he becomes sexually involved with a 16-year-old girl. But even as Father Amaro continues to profess his idealism, he always puts preserving his lifestyle above doing the right thing. I like "The Crime of Padre Amaro" for its memorable imagery, fascinating characters, and noirish feel. But I'll admit that it sometimes feels like a soap opera and is occasionally campy. I don't think the film is particularly good as a character study, but I still found it to be an interesting portrait of a young man’s capitulation to moral bankruptcy.
