El Crimen del Padre Amaro (translated as "The Crime of Father Amaro") caused much controversy when it premiered in its home country of Mexico. The hullabaloo occurred over a timely and sensitive issue -- corrupt priests. In a time when more and more priests are being exposed for bad behavior -- pedophilia comes up often as a transgression -- perhaps the last thing the devout communities of Mexico wanted to see was a film about a Catholic church gone bad.

I suppose director Carlos Carrera felt this story had to be told. Based on an 1875 novel, it's a timeless tale ripe with drama, where the vices of holy men overcome their virtues under the rigid restrictions of their occupation. We meet young, newly ordained Padre Amaro (Gael García Bernal, the kind of good-looking young star women would bemoan becoming a priest in the real world), new to the small Mexican town of Los Reyes. He is instructed to assist longstanding Padre Benito (Sancho Gracia), who in his years as the head of the local church has managed to tuck away a few unsavory secrets.

Padre Amaro observes Padre Benito's suspicious activities, including a late night rendezvous with a middle-aged widow (Angélica Aragón) and an association with a known drug lord. Benito internally justifies these as minor necessary evils serving a greater good -- the woman needs emotional support and the criminal's money funds a new hospital.

When a mishap results in a near-scandalous tangle involving the church, the local politicians, and the local media, Padre Amaro learns about the underhanded games men play to maintain an idealized surface and a good reputation. Meanwhile, he finds himself less and less able to resist the allure of the aforementioned widow's 16-year-old daughter, Amelia (Ana Claudia Talancón). One can easily see where this is going.

Carrera must believe all the weight here lies in the events of the story, for he films El Crimen del Padre Amaro in a completely straightforward manner. The film moves from plot point to plot point methodically, and it feels as if it is working harder to cover all bases than to provide a memorable cinematic experience. Minor characters pop in and out, mostly just to serve their purpose in the story. Compared to the earlier, edgier, more experimental Mexican hits starring Gael García Bernal, i.e. Amores Perros and Y Tu Mamá También, El Crimen del Padre Amaro seems sterile and made-for-tv.

Luckily, the camera loves Carrera's two stars, Bernal and Talancón. Bernal has been making the ladies swoon since he broke out in Amores Perros, and none of his appeal is lost in this new movie. And Talancón is one of the most beautiful actresses I've seen on the silver screen lately. Her expressive face hints of forbidden desires underneath a look of sincere, shiny-eyed innocence. If filmmakers were going for a girl who could time-bomb any priest into giving up his celibacy, they found her.

Eventually, the film's melodrama kicks into high gear and an unexpected bleakness rears its ugly head. But the fall of a holy man is a tale too easily told. Carrera wants to show us how the vows of priesthood are reinforced at the expense of basic humanity. However, he fails to explore an important counter-argument: anyone who accepts the mantle of a life serving God should be taught and equipped to handle basic temptations with a stronger will than any common person. According to Carrera, priests are human and should be given a break, or else they'll be driven to commit sins as lamentable as those of Amaro and Benito. Something to consider, of course, but it shouldn't excuse townspeople from expecting better behavior from their men of the cloth. Essentially, one look at Padre Amaro's expression when he first meets Amelia is all it takes to realize he needed stronger training in this regard.

Anyhow, the church-faithful and the church-affiliated may be more up-in-arms over the movie's more general attack on the Catholic church. What Carrera is saying about parish corruption is not necessarily new news, but I don't blame him for wanting to pick this time to spell things out for the public. However, in letting the story do all of the work, he may have missed a golden opportunity to turn out a more potent contribution to modern Mexican cinema.

(Review also posted at www.windowtothemovies.com.)

Released with English subtitles by Samuel Goldwyn Films; rated "R" for sexuality, language and some disturbing images.