The Penitent
- Drama
- Crime
- Thriller
- Horror
Overview
The Penitent (1988) isn’t faith-affirming drama—it’s lurid exploitation mocking Catholic penitents. In a devout New Mexico/Mexico village reenacting Christ’s Passion (flagellation, crucifixion), jealous husband Ramon (Raúl Juliá) joins fanatical Penitentes while his virginal wife Celia falls for ex-con friend Juan (Armand Assante), sparking deadly love triangle amid rituals. Directed by Cliff Osmond, it sensationalizes "primitive brutal" self-mortification as barbaric cult, blending sex, betrayal, and gore—not exploring redemption or biblical penance. Secular gaze shames Hispanic Catholic traditions as repressed pathology. Cherry-picks extremism to caricature piety, ignoring healthy devotion. Obscure PG-13 thriller for grindhouse fans, not believers.
Keywords
- crucifixion
- christian film
- christian faith
- blasphemy
- religious film
- christian propaganda
- passion play
- mocking faith
Details
- Status
- Released
- Release date
- May 27, 1988
- Original language
- English
- Spoken languages
- English
- Countries
- Mexico, United States of America
- Production
- The Vista Organization,Ithaca
- Cast
- Enrique Novi,Tina Romero,Julie Carmen,Justo Martínez,Rona De Ricci,Armand Assante,Raúl Juliá,Martin LaSalle,Demián Bichir
- Director
- Cliff Osmond
- Writer
- Cliff Osmond
- Cinematography
- Robin Vidgeon
- Music
- Alex North
- Budget
- Not recorded
- Revenue
- Not recorded
- IMDb
- tt0095845