The Penitent is a 1988 American-Mexican film and the directorial debut of Cliff Osmond. It stars Raul Julia and Armand Assante.
In a small, deeply religious New Mexican town where annually the crucifixion of Jesus is literally reenacted, a love triangle with tragic results develops between a troubled young wife Celia Guerola (Rona Freed), her husband Ramón Guerola (Raul Julia) and his handsome best friend Juan Mateo (Armand Assante).