La oveja negra

Pedro Infante was a very good actor, so my hating this film has nothing to do with him or his acting in this movie. It's the plot and the writing--they were so awful and unsatisfying that I repeatedly considered turning off the movie!

Don Cruz is a horrible man. He is a drunk, a braggart, a coward, a womanizer and the lowest excuse for a father on Earth. Yet, despite this, his family is insanely loyal to them. Now I know that in the day Mexico was a very patriarchal society and some fathers took advantage of this and lived up to some crazy self-absorbed macho ideal. But Don Cruz goes WAY over the line and even the most loyal of children could only take so much physical and emotional abuse until they either leave this sick and very dysfunctional family or they kill their father. I was clearly rooting to see Silvano (Infante) the old creep once and for all...yet again and again and again, the father unmercifully mistreated his family and figuratively castrated his loyal son at every opportunity. How much is the audience to take?!?!

Had the film ended with the death of Don Cruz as Silvano whipped him to death, I could have allowed for the other 99% of this film. As it is, there was no comeuppance for Don Cruz--just a vile excuse for a human being mistreating everyone with impunity. And why would ANYONE want to see this?!

This film should be avoided but particularly by folks who have had abusive parents. It clearly will stir up a lot of anger and hatred within you. As a retired teacher and psychotherapist who used to deal with nasty bullies like this guy, I obviously had a strong emotional reaction. I don't mind this. But with no sense of justice just personal martyrdom and acceptance of a vile man, I see no reason to see this film. See one of Infante's other movies instead....any of them!!