"El Club" Movie: a Searing Look at the Failings of the Catholic Church

By David Salazar
Latin Post
February 5, 2016

http://www.latinpost.com/articles/113474/20160205/el-club-movie-searing-look-failings-catholic-church.htm

El Club is a fantastic look at the corruption in the Catholic Church. (Photo : Music Box)

Taking down the Catholic Church for its corruption is among the most prominent tasks of filmmakers these days. "Spotlight," the current Oscar front-runner, takes an investigative approach, discovering the infamy from the outside. But the best take on the Catholic Church's problematic politicking is actually from Chile.

Directed by rising star director Pablo Larrain, "The Club" takes us into a home where former priests waste away their days in a species of exile. One day, yet another fallen "angel" arrives in the house but is immediately forced to confront his dark history. His response is that of suicide, forcing the church to send over a priest to seek out the events behind the death.

The film's opening reel sets up the rather relaxed lifestyle of four priests in this household. They drink, they gamble and they train a dog to race, all considered inappropriate for men of their stature. These scenes actually humanize the men; Larrain's withholding of information to this point only adds to the ability for the audience to connect emotionally with these men. We slowly gather rather painful information about their past actions, but Larrain actually does a fantastic job of balancing the equation. During one interrogation with young and by-the-books priest Garcia (Marcelo Alonso), each of the men gets a chance to justify their inappropriate behavior. While some of it is certainly disgusting, Larrain's use of straight-on close-ups on each man puts the viewer right in the middle of the action, almost as if the men were speaking directly to the audience. It is painful to endure, but also asks the audience to recognize these characters as flawed humans who acted on their basic instinct. Exonerating them is the objective, but rethinking our judgement is on some level.

On the other hand, Larrain shows how Garcia, the perfect representation of the church, creates the dreadful behavior by his constant repression of the other men around him. By pushing against their desires, he winds up hurting them all the more.

Central to the narrative is the arrival of a traumatized local, who claims to having been abused by another priest. His narrative serves to show both the best and obviously the worst that the church has to offer.

Roberto Farias' portrayal of the tragic Sandokan is a major contrast to that of the priests in their more sedate personalities. Alonso proves the standout, his piercing eyes giving off the sense that Padre Garcia is both a dangerous enemy for the priests and yet a vulnerable human at his core. Antonia Zegers is also a standout as the only major female character from the group. Her singing in a few sequences is among the most haunting moments of the film.

"El Club" is not an easy viewing experience as it takes a very deep look at the failings of the church and yet manages to humanize people that have engaged in rather deplorable behavior. Larrain's powers are undeniably on the rise and this film, with its austere qualities, pulls the viewer in and never lets go.