The film Romero follows the career of Oscar Romero through his rise to power as the archbishop of San Salvador to his life in politics and ultimately his assassination. The film offers an insightful look into the political situation of El Salvador during the 1970's. Like many countries of Latin America at the time, the nation was ruled by a brutal regime run largely by the military. Political assassinations and repression of all kinds were common place. The working people of El Salvador were also forced to endure the hardships of poverty and economic instability. The film is interesting to watch because it shows the controversy over the difficult roles that many in the Catholic Church felt compelled to play in the midst of the situation. According to the film, many in the Catholic Church, including many priests and eventually the archbishop himself, saw the political and economic situation in El Salvador as terribly unjust. Several priests began to speak out publicly on behalf of the people suffering in their congregations. This kind of political activism agitated the military regime and resulted in a crackdown on elements within the church including the assassination and repression of activist priests. As a result of this persecution, the newly appointed archbishop of San Salvador was forced to become more involved in the situation. As the political repression and injustice continued, the reluctant Oscar Romero began to speak more publicly on his opposition to the government and its policies. The film offers a remarkable insight into the political and cultural situation of the country. At the same time, the film documents the life and struggles of Oscar Romero during his tenure as archbishop of San Salvador.<br /><br />Much of the film's drama is centered on Romero's reluctance to get involved in the political debate that was engulfing his country. In fact, the film focuses as much on the character's personal transformation as it does on his politics. According to the film, when Romero was instated as archbishop it was only because he was viewed as an intellectual moderate who would keep the church from getting too involved in the political affairs of the country. As the film progresses, however, the political repression becomes increasingly violent. With the assassination of a priest and the military's desecration of the Eucharist in a Catholic church, Oscar Romero was shaken into action. He frequently began to speak publicly against the injustices of the political regime. It was interesting to watch Romero increasingly identify himself with the suffering of the people of El Salvador. At the beginning of the film, Romero was shown to have a close relationship with several of the wealthy elites that were controlling the country. Many of the military and political leaders attended his inauguration. He received gifts from them and enjoyed a close relationship with several powerful figures in San Salvador. As the film progressed, however, these relationships quickly began to deteriorate. As Romero increasingly identified with the suffering and persecuted people of El Salvador, his relationship with the ruling elites also began to suffer. In a particular scene, Romero declined to perform a private baptism for the child of a wealthy family. Instead, Romero told the family that they must baptize their child alongside all the other children at a regular Sunday Mass. The wealthy mother was horrified at the thought. It was this way that Romero increasingly began to identify himself with the lower-class people. In another scene, Romero is seen speaking on the radio about the church's need to defend the needs of the poor and underprivileged in society. It was this kind of "radical" thinking that earned Romero enemies within the government. Eventually Romero's "agitations" became too much for the military-backed government to bear. The film doesn't say if it was the government or simply an overzealous supporter of the military-regime, but Romero was eventually assassinated for speaking out in support of the poverty-stricken masses of his country. Regarded as supporting communist subversives, the military leaders began to view the archbishop as a threat to their grip on power. The film ends with the dramatic assassination in which Romero was gunned down in the church while performing the communion ceremony for his congregation. At the end of the film, the text stated that in the nine years following the assassination or Archbishop Romero, more than sixty-thousand Salvadorians were killed under the military regime. To me, this film demonstrates the tragic brutality of many of the Latin American military regimes that emerged in the late 20th Century. After viewing this film, I have a newfound respect for the person and philosophy of Oscar Romero.