The Two Popes
THE TWO POPES (Anthony Hopkins, Jonathan Pryce) - NETFLIX
At its whole, The Two Popes follows the politics of the Catholic Church and the pull between traditionalism and reform during the papal conclaves of 2005 and 2013. The bulk of the film takes place in conversations between Pope Benedict XVI (Anthony Hopkins) and Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio (Jonathan Pryce), though it jumps to the papal conclaves as well as Bergoglio’s past in Argentina. Along with many believers leaving the Christian faith, the two men of God are also struggling with their own spirituality.
While the topics in the film are highly political, director Fernando Meirelles is able to keep The Two Popes from preaching — an effective way to balance the conservatism of Pope Benedict and the reformist attitude of Cardinal Bergoglio. With the help of Anthony McCarten’s script, Meirelles is able to keep the conversation simple and layered with humour and wit, often having the viewer forget that the discussions between Benedict and Bergoglio have implications on over a billion worshippers. The chemistry between Hopkins and Pryce carries the film; the two great actors are able to play off one another so well that it gives The Two Popes its charm.
Because the two men share conflicting views of the direction the Catholic Church should take, Hopkins and Pryce go from periods of argumentative tension to points of comedy throughout their talking as they reconcile, change and compromise. Both actors give stunning performances that humanize these influential religious leaders: Hopkins plays Benedict as a humbled man and Pryce plays Bergoglio as a frustrated man, both men struggling to hear the voice of God. They are so wonderful that the flashback scenes of young Bergoglio’s (Juan Minujín) life in the 1950s and 1970s Argentina, though necessary to understanding Bergoglio’s character, falter without the presence of Pryce.
THE TWO POPES (Anthony Hopkins, Jonathan Pryce) - NETFLIX
Certain technical aspects of the film often cause The Two Popes to come off as sloppy. Meirelles and cinematographer César Charlone use numerous handheld shots that come off as shaky and often provide strange camera angles, such as points where shoulders partially block the face of the other actor. It seems Meirelles and Charlone are trying to give the film a lifelike sense with these shots to convince the audience that the conversations between Benedict and Bergoglio are accurate, but it just comes off as distracting.
Charlone does excel in certain scenes, such as the papal conclave with close-up shots of Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel paintings, ballot papers and wooden spheres. Accompanied by harsh cuts by editor Fernando Stutz and a score Bryce Dessner, all three elements give the papal conclave scene a heightened sense of pressure as the cardinals elect a new Pope. Mark Teldesley’s production design is a marvel as his team was able to produce a beautiful copy of the Sistine Chapel. Works of fiction are not allowed to be filmed within Vatican walls, only documentary, so numerous locations had to be recreated as the building is so integral to the film. Instead of painting copies of Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel Ceiling and The Last Judgement, the production design team used a technique called tattoo wall, which printed photos of the paintings onto film which was then stuck onto plaster walls with glue, giving the appearance of hand-painted frescoes.
The Two Popes is a beautifully created film exploring the changing politics of the Catholic Church but is able to refrain from preaching the Christian faith. The production design and cinematography help convince the viewer that the conversations between the film’s Pope Benedict and Cardinal Bergoglio are true to life. Much of the discussion revolves around contemporary topics, such as the migration crisis happening in the Mediterranean, and the economic struggles felt by people in developing countries bring these issues to the forefront of the audience’s mind. However, the film’s humour and wit keep it light, giving a sense of hope for the future of the Catholic Church under Pope Francis.
The Two Popes is streaming exclusively on NETFLIX December 20th 2019