DECEMBER 21, 2019
I love “What if?” movies.
Quentin Tarantino has been dealing with revising history in “Inglorious Basterds” and “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,” and the results to my mind have been both shocking and moving. And now we have a new entry from Oscar-nominated Brazilian director Fernando Meirelles (“City of God”) with “The Two Popes,” which has been playing in theaters for the past few weeks and is now available for home viewers on Netflix.
A Pope hasn’t willingly decided to give up the papacy since Pope Celestine V did it in the year 1294, but Pope Benedict did just that in 2013, citing a “lack of strength of mind and body” due to his advanced age. It also came on the heels of the leaking of confidential church records that alleged corruption and misconduct among Catholic clergy, so there’s that.
At the same time, Argentinian Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio had regularly meet with the poor among his flock, as well as cheering on local soccer matches, little knowing that he will soon be summoned to Rome to select a new Pope, and he would be the conclave’s final selection.
“The Two Popes” covers quite a bit of 21st Century Papal history — the 2005 election of German Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger to become Pope Benedict VI, Benedict’s sudden decision to resign the Papacy, and the subsequent election of Cardinal Bergoglio to become Pope Francis in 2013.
Now here’s where the “What if?” part comes in. Screenwriter Anthony McCarten posits the fictional idea that while pondering his decision to resign, Benedict (Anthony Hopkins) asks Cardinal Bergoglio (Jonathan Pryce) to visit him at the Vatican for a few days. The two men talk about the future of the Catholic Church in between discussing soccer, drinking Fanta soda and eating pizza. Make no mistake, there is talk in “The Two Popes” — a lot of it — but it’s the quality of the dialogue that makes watching the film such a pleasure.
You may not be familiar with McCarten’s name, but you’ll likely know his most recent three movies — 2014’s “The Theory of Everything” for which Eddie Redmayne won the Best Actor Oscar, 2017’s “Darkest Hour” for which Gary Oldman also won the Best Actor Oscar, and 2018’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” for which Rami Malek also won the Best Actor. These are the kind of rich parts that he is known for writing, and whether Pryce will make it four-for-four remains to be seen. Still, Pryce and Hopkins give master classes here on subtle screen acting.
Characterizations aside, it’s refreshing to see a film in which matters of faith are discussed openly and in a frank, adult manner. Benedict was a strictly conservative traditionalist who probably turned off far more young people to the church than attracted older ones. However, Benedict was also concerned that Cardinal Bergoglio’s looser approach, while attractive to some, could destroy some of the strict tenets that be believes have held the Catholic Church together for centuries.
“The Two Popes” offers moviegoers much to consider when it comes to your own system of belief, as well as providing the sheer joy of watching two masterful actors operating at the top of their craft.
GRADE: B+
