This Netflix film written by Anthony McCarten (Oscar nominated for writing "The Theory of Everything" in 2014) and directed by Brazilian director Fernando Meirelles (Oscar-nominated for directing "City of God" in 2002) is about Pope Benedict XVI and his successor Pope Francis. The two of them ascended the papacy only within the last 15 years, well within our recent memory. It was going to be interesting to see what could have actually happened behind the scenes during these last two papal conclaves.
It was in 2005 that Pope John Paul II passed away, and German Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger succeeded him as vicar of Rome. Pope Benedict was a strict conservative Pope, practiced the pomp and pageantry associated with his lofty position, an introvert who preferred to eat alone. Also receiving votes in that 2005 election was Argentine Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio, a humble cleric who got his hands dirty and worked closely with the masses.
One day in 2012, Bergoglio, feeling disillusioned with the current direction of the Church, sent letters to Vatican for his resignation. However, since Pope Benedict did not want to sign the papers, Bergoglio decided to fly to the Vatican himself to personally talk with the Pope. In the moments that these two men spend with each other, they get to know each other better while confronting each other with their views about how the Church should be run.
A good part of the film was dedicated to look back at Jorge Bergoglio as a young man and as a Jesuit priest (portrayed by Argentine actor Juan Minujin). As he became the head of the Jesuits during the time of the dictatorship in Argentina in the late 70s and early 80s, Fr. Bergoglio made some controversial decisions which haunted him and his career for years to come. With this detailed examination of his checkered past, we get a clearer picture on why Pope Francis is how he is today.
The two veteran actors Jonathan Pryce (as Cardinal Bergoglio) and Anthony Hopkins (as Pope Benedict XVI) truly owned their characters inside and out. They not only approximated how the pontiffs looked and behaved, they also embodied their respective characters and dispositions. Pryce is being pushed as Best Actor and Hopkins for Best Supporting Actor, but I believed both should be nominated in the Best Actor category. Majority of the film was a two-hander with the two characters just talking to each other. However, their conversations were part serious (about Church policy, governance and politics), part humorous (about football, the Beatles or pizza), and totally engaging.
A biographical movie about two Catholic popes in itself is already quite special. But it becomes even more special and unique because since these two popes are still very much alive to this day. Even if these meetings in Castel Gandolfo or the Sistine Chapel or the Chapel of Tears never actually happened before Benedict announced his decision to resign, this thoughtful film made everything so plausible. This film did not shirk from discussing the pressing issues that hound the Catholic Church today, but the views of Popes Benedict and Francis were compared and contrasted with due respect for their rank and compassion for their humanity. 8/10.
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