The Other Conquest (La Otra Conquista)

Humor: none, this is a drama
Blood: 2
Nudity: 3, naked natives
Minutes FF’ed thru: none
Overall rating: 2.5
Other: In Spanish with English subtitles

This movie is about the Spanish-Christian conquest of a small Aztec settlement in 1520. Friar Diego leads the spiritual crusade while Captain Cristobal Quijano commands his band of soldiers. A statue of Mother Goddess is replaced with one of The Virgin Mary. Topiltzin, a son of Moctezuma, is reluctant to adopt the new religion, and hits Friar Diego in the head with a stone. His brother gives him up in exchange for money, but Top’s life is spared by his sister, who has influence over the ruler of the land, Don Hernando Cortes. In return, Top is sentenced to 33 lashes and must renounce his faith. During the ceremony, his guilt-ridden brother tries to kill Cristobal, but gets his head cut off by a nearby soldier.

The story then jumps to five years later where Tomas (Topiltzin) appears to be a devout pupil of the church. In order to save their blood, Tomas and his sister meet in secrecy and have sex. Friar Diego witnesses this, and requests she be sent away, so he can save Tomas’s soul. Tomas remains true to his upbringing, but tries to play the part of a Christain convert. He grows a fondness for the Virgin Mary statue, seeing her as Mother God. One night, overcome in feeling, he steals the statue and willingly falls to his death while tightly holding her. Friar Diego finds the body, and has a scribe note how two different worlds can coexist through tolerance.

The dialog, acting, costuming, and set designs feel unnatural and staged. I’ve always been interested in other religions beliefs and rituals, but this was a disappointing portrayal. Watch Apocalypto or something on the History Channel instead, and don't believe the hype that you read on the trailer.