Headlined by an excellent Raoul Julia, Romero tells the true story of martyred priest Oscar Romero’s activism against a murderous government, done with unflinchingly sober filmmaking deserving of the films tragic story.

There is a feeling of sorrow that permeates throughout Romero. Directed by John Duigan (The Year My Voice Broke), this biopic of Archbishop Oscar Romero and his fight against the fascist Salvador government of the 1970s, is one that ends with the archbishop’s murder. It is the last casualty in a film depicted in a sea of sorrow, injustice, and death, and a glaring depiction of how often holy men and women are martyred for standing up to evil men who willingly commit evil deeds.

Such heroic activism was not always Romero’s approach. As portrayed by Raoul Julia, the archbishop is first shown as a quiet conservative priest, who in the eyes of the government and the Church had the potential to lead his nations Catholics as a meek political pawn. Little did they realise was that this reserved man of God would not stand idly by as evil in the form of corruption, torture, and systematic murder, took place in his country.

Romero depicts the archbishop’s efforts to confront and expose the Salvadorian government’s violent rule, and it is indeed an impactful watch, with scenes of violence and injustice throughout the films 102-minute runtime. One sequence involving a stand-off at a church, in which soldiers open fire at the altar as the Tabernacle is destroyed and the Eucharist is spilt to the ground, is especially confronting considering the sacred religious importance of the Church tabernacle. After all, if men are willing and able to open fire upon the body of Jesus Christ, what else is sacred?

Countering are the moments of courage and faith by Romero and others against this tyranny of terror. It is one thing to speak of your beliefs and to live your faith, but it is another to do so with the real threat of murder. Back to the scene of the Church shooting: even though the air was thick with violence and a despicable act had occurred, Romero refused to be intimidated and collected the Eucharist hosts for communion to his parishioners, standing his ground in front of armed men who have permission to do barbaric violence.

Raoul Julia plays the defiance, the faith, the goodness, and the passion of Oscar Romero with exceptional poise and emotion. It’s a performance that depicts a transformation of mind and spirit, where the witness to the atrocities of a people in a bitter, ideological, political, and class driven war, brought for a leader of a nation so sorely needed to present Christ’s teachings of peace and forgiveness and sanctity of life, where upwards of 80,000 people were slain.

That Oscar Romero would count as one of the dead once again brings back that word: sorrow. But Romero is just as much a story of inspiration and courage, of faith under fire, and a martyred Catholic priest who stood for the oppressed no matter the consequence.