Based on Anthony McCarten's 2017 play The Pope, The Two Popes is directed by Fernando Meirelles (City Of God, The Constant Gardener) and stars Anthony Hopkins and Jonathan Pryce as the two pontiffs.
In 2005, upon the death of Pope John Paul II, cardinals from all over the world are called to the Vatican for the conclave to elect his successor. Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio (Pryce) travels from Buenos Aires and is considered to be an alternative to Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger (Hopkins), who is eventually elected and takes the papal name Benedict XVI. Seven years later, in a time of turmoil for the Catholic Church, Bergoglio seeks Benedict's permission to retire and travels to Rome to discuss this. Conservatism meets liberalism as the two men clash in what would prove to be a pivotal moment in the Catholic church.
You can tell that it's based on a play. Indeed, I commented to my husband after I watched it (but before I found out it started life on the stage) that it could be a play. It feels very stage-like, although Meirelles lifts it from being a static affair. McCarten adapts his own script, and there's some very interesting discussions between the two men, with their stance on the world (Bergoglio is more into breaking walls down, for instance). Of course, a lot of it is imagined and surmised- there's a couple of real flights of fancy, especially towards the end, which are amusing but there's virtually no chance of them being real (you'll lnow them when you see them).
The film focuses a lot of Bergoglio (you learn a lot more about his early life and history, and his role during the Argentine military junta of the 1970s, a lot of which I didn't know) and Pryce is utterly superb in the role. A softly-spoken charismatic figure, Bergoglio is seen as much more personable than Benedict. He's forthright, however, when he needs to be; the discussion over paedophile priests and what Benedict knew and when is a particularly strong moment. It, of course, helps that Pryce looks very much like Bergoglio to start with. It's a quietly brilliant performance, and amongst Pryce's best work.
I must also praise Argentinian actor Juan Minujín, who plays the young Bergoglio in flashback, seeing him before he is called to the church and during the military junta (and afterwards). His performance is exclusively in Spanish as well, which is impressive.
We learn less about Benedict, which seems like a failing; it would have been interesting to see his early history (especially as he had been conscripted into the Hitler Youth as a teenager; there's a few snide comments about him being a Nazi, but there's no evidence to suggest he was an enthusiastic participant). That said, Hopkins is still given some meaty material, as the embattled Pope dealing with various Vatican leaks. He refuses to give Bergoglio permission to retire as he feels it would be a vote of no confidence in his papacy. Teutonic, inscrutable, and irascible, there's still a twinkle of charm behind it (which is down to Anthony Hopkins, no doubt). He matches Pryce and it's a joy to see the two men share the screen.
It is a beautiful-looking film; the sets are sublime- especially the Sistine Chapel interior, which was faithfully recreated at the Cinecitta studios in Rome- as are the costumes (everything from the Cardinals to the Swiss Guard look superb). You also don't really need to know anything about the situation before watching either- the situation is set up quickly and it's easy to follow (although anyone who has had even a passing interest in world affairs over the last decade will be aware of some of the story points).
Ultimately, this won't be everybody's cup of tea, and I can imagine the pitch might have raised a few eyebrows. But I liked it; it's well-written and impeccably acted by two masters of the stage and screen.
Rating: 4 out of 5
Tez
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