Perfect Obedience

The Catholic Church’s pedophilic sex scandals are given an explosive, controversial but oddly wildly entertaining look with this 1960s-set drama based on a true story about Legion of Christ founder and child abuser Marcial Marcial. Julian, an innocent and impressionable 13-year-old, is sent to a seminary to train for the priesthood. He is immediately immersed in this new world of religious training with the over-riding philosophy being, not so much the love of Christ, but the complete obedience to authority. The seminary, with its coterie of older priests beset with sexual tension and ever-so tempted by its young students is lorded over by the handsome and charismatic Father Angel de la Cruz. When the seemingly kindly pastor invites the attractive boy to leave the dormitory to stay at his home to continue his “training,” he feels honored, but soon realizes there is a price: his complete psychological and inevitably, physical surrender to the older man. First-time filmmaker Luis Urquiza, imbues this lurid tale with an impressive style (the 1960s fashions are especially impressive) and with a memorable soundtrack featuring religious music, Spanish rock and even a bacchanalian scene set to the Rolling Stone’s “Sympathy for the Devil.”