Nazarín is a 1959 Mexican film directed by Luis Buñuel, and based on the novel of the same name by Benito Pérez Galdós. The film tells the story of Father Nazario, a priest who decides to abandon his order as a protest against the corruption and social injustice he sees around him. He travels through rural Mexico, relying on the generosity of strangers for his existence.
Along the way, he encounters a prostitute named Andara, who is being hunted by the police for the murder of one of her clients. Nazarín shelters her from the authorities and tries to help her reform her ways. He also meets Beatriz, a young woman who joins them on their journey.
As they travel together, Nazarín and his companions encounter various forms of suffering and deprivation. They witness poverty, disease, and violence, and struggle to understand the meaning of it all. Nazarín is particularly moved by the plight of a group of lepers, who are shunned by society and forced to live in isolation.
Gradually, Nazarín begins to question his own beliefs and values. He realizes that he has been too focused on religious dogma and ritual, and has neglected the real needs and struggles of the people he is meant to serve. He also comes to see the complexity and ambiguity of human behavior, and the difficulty of making moral judgments.
In the climactic scene of the film, Andara is captured by the police and sentenced to death. Nazarín tries to intervene on her behalf, but his efforts are in vain. In the end, he is left alone to ponder the mysteries of existence and the limitations of his own understanding.
Nazarín is considered one of Buñuel's masterpieces, and is notable for its stark, realistic portrayal of poverty and suffering, as well as its exploration of religious themes and social criticism.