Film response and analysis

Romero

Faith and Justice in Romero

It is inherently challenging to create a film that is at once driven by a specific religious orientation and by an interest in more universal themes of social justice. However, this is the very accomplishment at the core of the 1989 critically acclaimed film Romero. Produced by the declaredly Catholic company Paulist Pictures, the John Duigan directed film casts Raul Julia in the real-life role of El Salvadorian spiritual leader and martyr Archbishop Oscar Romero. Julia's portrayal channels the perfect balance between a man of unshakeable faith and a human being given over to the frailties of fear and apprehension.

Relationship Between Faith and Justice:

The movie is driven by the Archbishop's conscience, a product of his faith and his clear sense of justice. Indeed, these two critical themes of faith and justice are singularly embodied in the film's titular character. As governmental oppression and bloody violence take hold in the civil war-afflicted nation, Romero endures an inherently human struggle to maintain his unwavering faith in the principles that have guided him throughout his life. In many ways, Romero is a pious but flawed man. He is quiet, reserved and even meek at the outset of the film. However, the intensifying situation around him calls for a transformation of character. Though Romero is not inherently given over to the traits of strong leadership, it is his unshakable faith and his lucid sense of social justice that drive him to change.

Julia observes in an interview on his performance that this is the dynamic that makes the character's struggle so compelling not just in a discussion on spirituality but on the human experience under duress. According to Champlin (1989), "Julia insisted during a recent brief visit to Los Angeles: 'It's important to make clear this is not a Catholic film. it's about a human being who grew. The archbishop evolved from an ordinary and quite timid person to a great popular hero. But he could have been a rabbi during World War II, fighting the Nazis, or a Tibetan monk against the Chinese. The purpose is to show the way a human being can reach the heights of humanity, and how one man can make a difference.'" (Champlin, p. 1)

Catholic Social Teachings: