Romero (1989) on Netflix
PG-1319891h 42mBiographyCrimeDrama
El Salvador's 1977 election is held amid fears of fraud. A guerrilla insurgency fights the dictatorship. The Vatican names Oscar Arnulfo Romero, a conservative priest, Archbishop of San Salvador.
- Netflix3.8/5
- IMDb7.2/102,640 votes
- Rotten Tomatoes80%
Trailer
Plot summary
El Salvador in 1977 is holding a presidential election amid fears of fraud, while a Marxist-Leninist guerrilla insurgency fights the anti-communist military dictatorship. Death squads abduct, torture and make people disappear for speaking about the government's human rights record, and soldiers block buses carrying voters to the polls. The Vatican appoints Oscar Arnulfo Romero, a theologically conservative priest, as Archbishop of San Salvador, expecting him to keep clear of politics. Romero fears the government's growing hostility and at first holds back from stirring anti-government feeling. The deception, oppression and killings he encounters make it impossible for him to back the government in good conscience, and he begins to speak out. Rutilio Grande is a Jesuit priest who speaks up for the poor and is a close friend of his.
Cast
- Alejandro Brachoas Father Alfonzo Osuña
- Harold Cannonas Gen. Humberto
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about Romero (1989)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- Romero was the first feature film from Paulist Pictures, a company founded by the Paulist Fathers religious order, making it the first major film produced by a Catholic company.
- Alfonso Cuarón, the Mexican film director, worked as an assistant director on Romero, which was directed by Australian filmmaker John Duigan and produced by Paulist Pictures founder Father Ellwood (Bud) Kieser.
- A closing title states that between 1980 and 1989 more than 60,000 Salvadorians were killed; by 1992, when the Salvadorian Civil War ended three years after the movie was made, the total had risen above 75,000.
- The score was written by Gabriel Yared, who later went on to win a BAFTA and an Academy Award for other film scores.
