O Crime Do Padre Amaro -2002- -pt- Jun 2026

Bernal ( Y Tu Mamá También ) is mesmerizing. He plays Amaro not as a monster, but as a tragically weak man. You see the torment in his eyes—the war between his genuine faith and his overwhelming desires. He is a victim of his own humanity.

When the film O Crime do Padre Amaro (known in English as The Crime of Father Amaro ) hit Mexican cinemas in 2002, it did more than just break box office records. It shattered them. Directed by Carlos Carrera, this Mexican adaptation of the classic 19th-century Portuguese novel by José Maria de Eça de Queiroz became the highest-grossing domestic film in Mexico’s history at that time, a title it held for several years. But with massive success came massive controversy. The film—a raw, unflinching look at clerical corruption, forbidden lust, and hypocrisy within the Catholic Church—ignited a firestorm of protests, excommunication threats, and a national debate about faith, power, and the silence of the faithful.

Every sin in the film flows from money. The hospital built on a swamp. The drug money in the collection plate. The bishop’s expensive car. Father Amaro’s final promotion. The film is a Marxist critique wrapped in a telenovela’s skin: the Church is not evil because of bad priests, but because it is a wealthy, untouchable institution whose primary goal is self-preservation. O Crime do Padre Amaro -2002- -PT-

This film was a cornerstone in Gael García Bernal’s rise to international stardom. His portrayal of Amaro is haunting because he doesn't play the character as a villain. Instead, he depicts a man who is gradually corrupted by the very system he sought to serve. Amaro is a "hero" who slowly realizes that in his world, survival and success require the sacrifice of his conscience.

: Upon arrival, Amaro finds that Father Benito is far from a saint; he is involved in a long-term affair with a local woman, Sanjuanera, and is laundering money from a drug lord to fund the construction of a local hospital . Amaro also encounters Father Natalio, a priest under investigation for supporting left-wing guerrillas . Bernal ( Y Tu Mamá También ) is mesmerizing

A masterpiece of righteous anger. Watch it. Discuss it. And then read the book.

The movie doesn’t just show a priest breaking his vows. It shows a system that protects predators while punishing the vulnerable. Benito runs the church like a mafia boss, and Amaro learns that sin is less about morality and more about getting caught . He is a victim of his own humanity

O sucesso do filme deve muito ao seu elenco estelar, que reuniu alguns dos melhores atores portugueses da época: