The Club / El Club

Breaking the rules of a proper Catholic life leads Father Lazcano to a residence of excommunicated priests who atone for their sins in a house at the edge of a seashore village. The inhabitants are in the custody of a nun who is both their warden and accomplice, and they spend their days training dogs for illegal races. The investigation of a sudden tragic event triggers exploration into the past, soul-searching, and examining today's Church which prefers to deal with its problems far from the public eye. The brilliantly narrated story explores the issue of guilt and punishment, and focuses on the relationship of faith and homosexuality, pedophilia, and other hushed topics. With its hypnotically constricting imagery, the film balances black comedy and chillingly disconcerting drama which critiques more than just the institution of the Church. The fifth film of Pablo Larraín, today's most distinctive Chilean director, won the Grand Jury Prize at Berlinale and was nominated as Chile's representative for Oscar for the Best Foreign Language Film.