One of the most relentlessly eye-opening dramas of the year.

For all of the criticisms of the Church in El Crimen del Padre Amaro, Carrera is quick to defend the basic humanity of his characters.

It's not hard to see why Mexican audiences are lapping this up.

Its exploration of the struggle between the flesh and the spirit every priest faces is certainly timely. But this obvious, heavy-handed melodrama, which relies on one hackneyed plot twist too many, could have used a little more finesse.