The Gospel of the Flesh
| The Gospel of the Flesh | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Eduardo Mendoza de Echave |
| Written by | Eduardo Mendoza de Echave Úrsula Vilca García |
| Produced by | Gustavo Sánchez |
| Starring | Giovanni Ciccia Jimena Lindo |
| Music by | Jorge Sabogal |
Production company | La Soga Producciones |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 110 minutes |
| Country | Peru |
| Language | Spanish |
The Gospel of the Flesh (Spanish: El evangelio de la carne) is a 2013 Peruvian crime drama thriller film directed by Eduardo Mendoza de Echave.[1] It was selected as the Peruvian entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 87th Academy Awards, but was not nominated. It premiered on 17 October 2013 in Lima and several other provinces.[2]
Synopsis
The film follows the lives of three men in Lima who follow pathways of faith and redemption. Gamarra is an undercover police officer trying to raise money to save his terminally ill wife. Felix is a former bus driver whose involvement in a fatal accident causes him to seek a religious sect. Narciso is a soccer club leader attempting to get his younger brother released from prison.
Cast
- Giovanni Ciccia as Gamarra
- Ismael Contreras as Felix
- Sebastian Monteghirfo as Narciso
- Lucho Caceres as Ramirez
- Jimena Lindo as Julia
- Cindy Diaz as Nancy
Filming
Approximately a quarter of the film's budget was covered by a financial award from the Peruvian government on the strength of the film's screenplay.[3] To prepare for his role as a police officer, Giovanni Ciccia worked alongside officers from the Villa El Salvador police station, undertaking several ride-alongs including a raid on a clandestine brothel.[4]
Release and reception
The Gospel of the Flesh was selected to represent Peruvian cinema at the 87th Academy Awards, but did not receive a nomination.[5][6][7] The film won the Audience Award at the 17th Lima Film Festival.[8] It also was awarded Best Film, Best Director, and Best Screenplay at the 2014 Peruvian International Film Festival (New Jersey) and won the Ulysses Award for Best Latin American Film at the 2015 Quito International Film Festival.[9]
Eduardo Mendoza, the film's director, commented that he poured the experience he gained directing films like Mañana te cuento and Bolero de noche into creating the film, stating that he considered it more intimate and personal than his earlier works.[2]
Rodrigo Bedoya Forno, writing in El Comercio, called the film a significant leap forward in Mendoza's filmography.[4] Jonathan Holland wrote in The Hollywood Reporter that the film was "hardly original, but at least it steals from high-class places."[10] Alberto Vergara, in ReVista: Harvard Review of Latin America, highlighted the way that Lima itself is portrayed as the main character, exploring themes of the social fabric which comes together to help those in need.[11]
See also
References
- ↑ "The Gospel of the Flesh". Chicago Latino Film Festival. Archived from the original on 1 March 2015.
- 1 2 "Eduardo Mendoza: "Quiero que 'El evangelio de la carne' sea motivo de debate"". El Comercio (in Spanish). 15 October 2013. Retrieved 16 November 2017.
- ↑ Batalle, Jordi (25 March 2015). "Eduardo Mendoza estrena 'El Evangelio de la Carne' en París". Radio France Internationale (in Spanish). Retrieved 16 May 2016.
- 1 2 Forno, Rodrigo Bedoya (1 October 2013). ""El evangelio de la carne": una historia sobre Lima y sus lados más turbios". El Comercio (in Spanish). Retrieved 16 May 2016.
- ↑ "El evangelio de la carne fue seleccionada para representar al Perú en Premios Oscar". La República (in Spanish). 6 September 2014. Archived from the original on 6 September 2014.
- ↑ Salazar, Francisco (11 September 2014). "Oscar 2015 Predictions, Foreign Film: Peru, Chile, Dominican Republic Join Race". Latin Post. Retrieved 12 September 2014.
- ↑ "Peru sends "The Gospel of the Flesh" to Academy Awards". Andina. 11 September 2014. Archived from the original on 12 September 2014.
- ↑ "Estos fueron todos los ganadores del Festival de Cine de Lima 2013 [VIDEO]". El Comercio (in Spanish). 18 October 2013. Archived from the original on 20 August 2013.
- ↑ "The Gospel of the Flesh". Lima Film Festival. 21 July 2025. Retrieved 16 May 2026.
- ↑ Holland, Jonathan (12 December 2014). "'The Gospel of the Flesh' ('El evangelio de la carne'): Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 16 May 2026.
- ↑ Vergara, Alberto (3 October 2014). "Contemporary Peru and the Big Screen Nostalgia, Longing, and Anomie". ReVista: Harvard Review of Latin America. Vol. XIV, no. 1. Retrieved 16 May 2026.