The Two Popes (2019)

Directed by: Fernando Meirelles | 125 minutes | drama, biography | Actors: Anthony Hopkins, Jonathan Pryce, Juan Minujín, Luis Gnecco, Cristina Banegas, María Ucedo, Renato Scarpa, Sidney Cole, Achille Brugnini, Federico Torre, Germán de Silva

Argentine Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio (Jonathan Pryce) wants to resign from his post as Cardinal Archbishop of Buenos Aires and take care of a parish as a humble pastor. However, his letters of permission to Pope Benedict XVI (Anthony Hopkins) remain unanswered. He books a plane ticket to Rome to plead his case in person when he is invited by Benedict for an interview. Not in the Vatican, but at the Papal summer residence in Castel Gandolfo. Whenever Bergoglio wants to offer his letter of resignation, Benedict avoids or ignores it. The reason soon becomes clear: the 83-year-old Pope is seriously considering quitting himself and sees a promising successor in Bergoglio. At the 2005 Conclave to elect a new Pope, Bergoglio already finished second behind the then Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger. At the time, the conservative, doctrinal Ratzinger, who became Benedict XVI upon his election, saw Bergoglio’s loose and more progressive style as a threat. In their conversations they cross philosophical and religious swords about the course of the Roman Catholic Church and – despite their differences – a cautious friendship develops. Although the title suggests otherwise, the focus is on Bergoglio’s beliefs and career ahead of his 2013 election as Pope Francis.

The whole setting is (unfortunately) largely fictional, but the makers did use the writings and words of Benedict and Francis to shape the dialogues. Anyone who thinks that substantive conversations between two older spiritual leaders are boring to watch will certainly be pleasantly surprised. ‘The Two Popes’ sparkles, sparkles and is suffused with many humorous witticisms without losing sight of the serious matter underlying it. The intelligent screenplay is by Anthony McCarten, who has made himself a master of biographical film in previous years (“The Theory of Everything” about Stephen Hawking in 2014; “Darkest Hour” about Winston Churchill in 2017; and ‘Bohemian Rhapsody about Freddie Mercury in 2018).

On the surface, it seems to be mainly a battle between the more inward-looking and conservative current within the Church versus a more open and progressive current, but the film digs deeper: it is certainly not an uncritical ode to Francis’ style, but the film explains the weaknesses of both Popes. Their characters are completely different, but the most unifying similarity is that both feel they are not fit to lead a global church of 1.3 billion believers. Benedict bears with him the abuse scandal that is fully exposed during his papacy, as well as the leaking of all kinds of confidential information by his close assistant. Bergoglio believes that the Church has turned too much away from the world, has not acted too harshly against abusive priests and is ignoring the challenges of the 21st century, but considers herself unfit to change that as Pope.

‘The Two Popes’ also provides an interesting behind-the-scenes look at the Conclave (Latin for ‘with the key’ or behind closed doors) and the procedure for electing a new Bishop of Rome/Pope. The makers have meticulously recreated the Sistine Chapel – the set itself seems to be a few centimeters larger – to properly portray the deliberation of the Cardinals and a crucial conversation between Benedict and Bergoglio. The decoration is beautiful across the board, be it the richly decorated spaces in the Vatican, the garden of Castel Gandolfo or the slums in Buenos Aires.

Director Fernando Meirelles maintains a largely light-hearted tone and gives his protagonists plenty of room to shine. Pryce and Hopkins both deliver high-profile performances, with Juan Minujín as the younger version of Bergoglio in lavish flashbacks to his role during the Argentine junta under dictator Jorge Videla. It is not without reason that Meirelles chose to film these scenes in black and white, which also contrasts strongly with the bright colors of Michelangelo’s paintings in the Sistine Chapel. The makers do not run away from the controversies that surrounded Bergoglio: did he collaborate with the Videla regime and abandon Jesuits under his responsibility, or did he make the best of an impossible situation and could he do nothing else?

In his repentant doubt about his actions at the time, Pryce has the most emotionally heavy role, but Hopkins also manages to capture his moments in a role that is difficult for another reason: how do you give some color to an unworldly study like Benedict? It is a joy to see the two test each other, outdo each other and to see what unites them: the love for God and how the Roman Catholic Church can best serve the world. Despite the fact that ‘The Two Popes’ is about two Popes and their discussions are largely about religion and doctrine, the film is not preachy about anything. That is an achievement in itself, but the film can be counted as one of the best of 2019 due to the masterclass acting of Pryce and Hopkins, supported by a strong script.