Damián Alcázar Movies

A beautiful swindler, a priest, and an acrid teacher find that their questionable actions have deeper consequences than they ever suspected in this tale of interconnecting lives from director Andrés Baiz. For a woman who cons wealthy men in hopes of improving her own lot in life, gaining unlimited wealth comes at an unexpectedly steep price. Meanwhile, a priest who has fallen deeply in love with his housekeeper is haunted by the revelation of a member of his congregation, and an embittered war veteran-turned-teacher discovers the dangers of becoming intimately involved with a student. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Javier Fox's drama Fuera del cielo (AKA Beyond Heaven, 2006) spans a 24-hour period. It begins at 6am with young Cucú, who is greeted by the return of his brother Malboro after a five-year separation. The brothers unite and embark on a long journey to the locales inhabited by their relatives, and wrap at 6am the following morning. The theme of Fox's film is "orphanhood," not in the literal sense (where children lose their parents to death) but in the abstract sense - the sense in which individuals can easily fall out of touch with their family ties. That estrangement brings to Cucú and Malboro a sense of social disconnectedness that causes a great deal of inner pain, pain they must strive to overcome. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi

A priest discovers the path of virtue can be steep, and temptation can demand a heavy price, in this controversial drama from Mexico. Father Amaro (Gael Garcia Bernal) is a young Catholic priest whose mentor, the Bishop (Ernesto Gomez Cruz), expects great things from him. However, like all priests, Amaro must first be assigned where he is needed most, which leads him to the small rural community of Los Reyes, where Amaro is to assist Father Benito (Sancho Gracia). To his shock, Amaro discovers Benito is hardly following Holy Law -- he's having an affair with Sanjuanera (Angelica Aragon), a woman who runs a local restaurant, and he's been helping a drug dealer launder his profits in exchange for large donations to the church, which Benito feels is justified as the funds are being used to build a hospital and orphanage for the poor. Amaro is disgusted with Benito's actions, but he soon discovers his own weaknesses when he falls in love with Amelia (Ana Claudia Talancon), Sanjuanera's teenage daughter. As Amelia finds herself falling for Amaro, she breaks off her relationship with Ruben (Andres Montiel), a reporter. Ruben responds by publishing a story which reveals the details of Benito's dealings with the drug dealers; Benito in turn tries to lay the blame at the feet of noble Father Natalio (Damian Alcazar), whose work with local peasants has been wrongly interpreted as supporting armed revolutionary factions. As Amaro tries desperately to distance himself from the growing scandal, he receives shocking news from Amelia when he learns she's pregnant with his child. The Crime of Father Amaro's portrayal of corruption within the Catholic Church led to an outcry from Catholic organizations, both in Mexico and the United States, where they attempted to organize a boycott of the film. However, the tactic failed in Mexico, where the controversy helped to boost ticket sales, making it the highest-grossing Mexican film ever in its native country. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Luis Estrada directs this groundbreaking and extremely controversial satire about Mexico's long-ruling political party, the PRI. Set in the late 1940s in the remote, thoroughly backwards village of San Pedro de los Saguaros, the film focuses on Vargas (Damian Alcazar), a petty politician who had the dubious honor of being appointed town mayor after his predecessor was decapitated for corruption by an angry mob. At first, he tries to balance the books and to bring the 20th century to the backwaters. When he is visited by slick PRI politico Lopez (Pedro Armendariz), however, he learns the officially sanctioned way of running the town: at gunpoint while pilfering the bank vaults. Soon Vargas becomes a power-mad despot, more than willing to steal or kill to further his goals. Though his PRI bosses try to reign him in, the lynch mob soon appears to be the inevitable end of Vargas' political career. The first film to criticize the PRI by name, Estrada's bitter farce savages the ruling party, the church and U.S. intervention. Cult director Alex Cox plays a small role as a seedy gringo. ~ Jonathan Crow, Rovi

Set in 17th century Mexico, Ave Maria tells the story of Maria Ines (Tere Lopez Tarin), a novice at a Spanish mission whose father is a major figure in the court of Spain. Maria is exceptionally bright and a student of astronomy, botany, and cartography, but her desire to expand her horizons does not make her popular with the friars of the mission, especially Father Serra (Alfredo Sevilla). When Maria's father kills himself, she finds she is no longer a favored novice at the convent, demoted to performing physical labor rather than intellectual exercises. Maria becomes delusional and starts hearing voices as she obsessively cleans the floors of the chapel. Abandoning her inheritance and her last vestiges of privilege, she leaves the mission to work among the poor, where she is said to be able to heal the sick with her faith. The fathers at the convent are outraged, and one, Father Cuna (Damian Alcazar), who has already killed Father Serra to seize control of the mission, makes it clear that Maria is to be stopped at all cost. The directorial debut from Eduardo Rossoff, Ave Maria was shown at the 1999 Guadalajara Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

A Mexican wedding provides the setting for this gentle satire of middle-class values and behaviors. Disaster strikes when auto mechanic Don Carlos discovers that someone has stolen the money he was using to finance the nuptials of his daughter Alejandra to Alfonso, the son of Paulina, a snobby widow who thinks that Alfonso is marrying beneath his station. As the preparations continue, Alejandra's brother Carlos, an aspiring filmmaker, records everything on video tape. While the happy couple is off on their honeymoon, Carlos begins editing his movie and discovers that he filmed the theft. His evidence nearly causes WW III following the return of Alfonso and Alejandra. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

Greed and playing into the hand of providence provides the focus of this Mexican comedy adapted from a novel by Jorge Ibarguengoitia. Marcos, an architect, has just returned to the home of his wealthy uncle Ramon after squandering his money in Mexico City and subsequently finding himself falsely accused of a crime. Although he is flat-broke, he conceals this from Ramon, telling him that he has returned home to buy a local gold mine. Marcos finds the lies come easily as begins trying to induce his uncle to fund his endeavor. Irascible Ramon, who likes Marcos for his similar love of drinking and smoking is duped, but Ramon's sons are not fooled by Marcos. To them he is a threat, and they fear he will be placed in the will. Soon all of them are trying to out-manipulate each other. Even Ramon, who is not as innocent as he appears is involved in the mayhem. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

Lorenzo O'Brien wrote this scathing black comedy about a naive Mexican highway patrolman who is irresistibly drawn into corruption and violence. ~ Nicole Gagne, Rovi

Even with careful handling, this sordid story based on a tale by the famed French writer Guy de Maupassant might repel would-be viewers, but add in scatology and high-blown philosophical maunderings by the lead characters, and you have a recipe for a cinematic disaster. In the story, a sailor has grown tired of his oceangoing life, so he leaves his ship on the sly and beds down in a local Mexican whorehouse. He is startled to discover that his own mother is the house's madam, and that his sister is one of the girls. However, after his sister turns a trick or two with him, he begins to fall in love with her. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi

El Angel Enmascarado was found dead in his mansion, and reporter Olmo Robles has been given the task of finding out what happened to the famous (and wealthy) wrestler -- including the wrestler's true identity, which has remained hidden from the beginning. This takes him into the wrestler's past and the vast, gritty world of wannabe wrestlers and hangers-on, seedy nightclubs, and underworld types. Why did El Angel give up his identity as a young man? A lot of people don't want Olmo to find out, and he receives several serious attacks intended as warnings. This film-noir detective movie/comedy is also an affectionate spoof of Mexican wrestling films of the 1950s and '60s, and will probably be best appreciated by those familiar with the genre. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi