''The Penitent'' is a 1988 American-Mexican film and the directorial debut of

Cliff Osmond Cliff Osmond (born Clifford Osman Ebrahim; February 26, 1937 – December 22, 2012) was an American character actor, screenwriter, and acting teacher. Early life Osmond was born in the Margaret Hague Medical Center in Jersey City, New Jersey ...

. It stars

Raul Julia Raúl Rafael Carlos Juliá y Arcelay (March 9, 1940 – October 24, 1994) was a Puerto Rican actor. He was known for his intense and varied roles on stage and screen. He started his career in the Public Theater before transitioning to film. He ...

and

Armand Assante Armand Anthony Assante Jr. (; born October 4, 1949) is an American actor. He played mobster John Gotti in the 1996 HBO television film '' Gotti'', Odysseus in the 1997 miniseries adaptation of Homer's ''The Odyssey'', Nietzsche in '' When Niet ...

Plot

In a small, deeply religious New Mexican town where annually the

crucifixion of Jesus The crucifixion of Jesus was the death of Jesus by being crucifixion, nailed to a cross.The instrument of Jesus' crucifixion, instrument of crucifixion is taken to be an upright wooden beam to which was added a transverse wooden beam, thus f ...

is literally reenacted, a love triangle with tragic results develops between a troubled young wife Celia Guerola (Rona Freed), her husband Ramón Guerola (

) and his handsome best friend Juan Mateo (

Cast

as Ramon Guerola *

as Juan Mateo *

Rona De Ricci Rona De Ricci (June 15, 1961 – June 30, 2020) was an American-Italian actress known for her roles in ''The Pit and the Pendulum'' (1991) and ''The Penitent'' (1988). She was also credited as Rona Freed and Rona Frid in some works. Early life ...

as Celia Guerola (Credited as Rona Freed) * Julie Carmen as Corina * Lucy Reina as Margarita * Eduardo Lopez Rojas as The Mayor * Juana Molinero as Ramon's Mother *

Martin LaSalle Martin Luis LaSalle Supervielle (19 January 1935 – 17 October 2018) was a French-Uruguayan actor. LaSalle first appeared in the Robert Bresson film ''Pickpocket'' (1959). Previously unknown, and in line with the director's mature practice, not ...

as Miguel *

Tina Romero Tina Romero (born Tina Romero Alcázar, August 14, 1949) is an American-Mexican actress. A native of New York City, Romero moved to Mexico in her youth, and later established a career there as an actress. Her early film roles included '' The Divi ...

as Susana *

Demián Bichir Demián Bichir Nájera (; born 1 August 1963) is a Mexican actor. After starring in telenovelas, he began to appear in Hollywood films. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor for his role in '' A Better Life''. Early life Bichir ...

as Roberto

References

External links

* * 1988 films American drama films Mexican drama films Films about Mexican Americans Films scored by Alex North 1988 directorial debut films Crucifixion of Jesus in art 1980s English-language films 1980s American films 1980s Mexican films English-language drama films {{1980s-US-film-stub