Set in an unspecified location in Mexico or the American Southwest, THE PENITENT begins as Juan Marco (Armand Assante) visits the small village where his old friend Ramon Guerola (Raul Julia) has adopted the ways of the Penitente religious cult, a mainly Spanish-speaking splinter group
of the Catholic church that believes in self-flagellation and literal reenactment of Christ's crucifixion as atonement. Persuaded to stick around for a few weeks, Juan soon seduces his friend's young wife and falls in love with her. As the end of Lent approaches, the man chosen by the Penitentes
to play
El Christo falls ill, and Ramon is expected to step in. If the
Christo<...
Released:
1988
Rated:
PG-13
Length:
94 mins