Oscar Romero became Archbishop of San Salvador in 1977 as a conservative, scholarly man expected to stay out of politics. He was dead three years later, shot while saying Mass, by agents of the Salvadoran government. What happened between his appointment and his assassination is the subject of John Duigan's 1989 film — and what happened was that the reality around him became impossible to ignore. Romero is a film about conscience, but more specifically it's a film about the moment when a person who has spent their life being careful about what they say discovers that careful silence is itself a choice.
For Spanish students, the film offers Salvadoran Spanish in a context of extreme political violence — the vocabulary of liberation theology, military repression, and the Catholic Church's role in Central American politics all appear in linguistically accessible dialogue. The Spanish is contemporary Latin American, emotionally direct, and historically embedded in ways that give students immediate cultural context for understanding El Salvador then and now.
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Key Themes for the Classroom
- Faith and action — Romero's faith leads him to act against power. Ask: ¿Cómo cambia la fe de Romero durante el film? What specific events change him?
- Speaking and silence — Romero uses the radio, the pulpit, and direct confrontation. Ask: ¿Por qué es tan peligrosa la voz de Romero para el gobierno? What specifically does he say that cannot be unsaid?
- Institutional power and individual conscience — The Church as institution wants Romero to be quiet; his conscience doesn't allow it. Ask: ¿A quién sirve Romero — a la Iglesia o a Dios? ¿Es posible hacer ambas cosas?
Scene to use: Romero's address to government soldiers, forbidding them to follow orders that require them to kill their own people. The Spanish in this scene is the language of moral absolute — no hedging, no diplomatic language, no qualification. Ask: ¿Por qué usa Romero un lenguaje tan directo aquí? What is he willing to risk by speaking this way? And: Does it work?
Low-prep classroom activity: Students write a brief homily in Spanish — in Romero's voice, addressed to a congregation that is afraid. He must acknowledge the fear, explain why it doesn't change what is right, and call his listeners to one specific action. Formal Spanish, religious register, and the specific vocabulary of moral obligation and courage under threat.
📅 Teach it when it counts: March 24 is the anniversary of Archbishop Romero's assassination in 1980 — the day he was shot while celebrating Mass. His canonization in 2018 made that date a feast day as well as an anniversary of political violence. Teaching Romero in the week of March 24 connects students to a living commemoration in El Salvador and across the Catholic world. The film's Spanish is the Spanish of a man choosing to speak, and understanding what that choice cost requires knowing what the date meant.
The full Spanish lesson plan for Romero is ready at filmarobics.com/products/romero — $29.95.
Students walk away from Romero having heard Spanish used for the most dangerous kind of speech — the kind that tells the truth when telling the truth can get you killed — and having thought seriously about what silence costs.
The full Spanish lesson plan for Romero is ready at filmarobics.com/products/romero — $29.95.
📥 Want a free lesson plan? Get a complete FilmArobics sample — pick your language. Subscribe for your free lesson →
Students walk away from Romero having heard Spanish used for the most dangerous kind of speech — the kind that tells the truth when telling the truth can get you killed — and having thought seriously about what silence costs.
