★★★★
Behind Vatican walls, the conservative Pope Benedict and the liberal future Pope Francis must find common ground to forge a new path for the Catholic Church.
Classification: 12
A magnificent awe-inspiring palace, adorned with centuries-old customs and traditions, colossal renaissance artwork evoking history and belief against the stark white marble. Cardinals of the Catholic church, clothed in evocative red enter a sacred chamber to perform the conclave, to elect their new spiritual leader and head of state to an entire religion. Crowds of believers and sceptics surround the Apostolic palace awaiting to see who has been chosen as these men shall only communicate through the image of smoke passing through a chimney. White for success, black for failure as the high priests from across the globe seal themselves inside the sacred Sistine chapel, away from the eyes of the public and the media to decide the religious future of 1.3 billion people. Red against white, the weight of this ceremony is momentous, democracy and theology in unison as the paper is handed out to inscribe the holy votes...
Then the echoed flurry of clicks from a hoard of retractable pens. Click, Click, Click, Click, CLICK!
Fernando Meirelles's latest film The Two Popes is a delightfully strange and thoughtful little film that marries the might of ancient institution with human idiosyncrasy. Despite all the pomp and circumstance one may associate with the Catholic Church (among other nefarious things which Meirelles addresses in his film) the filmmakers don't let the audience be swept up in all the glamour. The cardinals write their votes then go for lunch and a new pope takes to the world stage. The film which focuses on a meeting after the conclave between then Pope Benedict XVI portrayed by Anthony Hopkins and Argentian Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio who would go on to become Benedict's successor, Pope Francis. Bergoglio portrayed by Jonathan Pryce has a great harmony against Hopkins, both men bound by their faith though separated by various differing beliefs in how Catholicism must move forward. Anthony McCarten's screenplay is so much more than a hypothetical theologian debate between two historical figures.
'Based on true events' means there is always room for interpretation of what's on-screen, with dramatic license pushed to its very edge but The Two Popes while brimming with history asks the audience to invest in the story more from a place of faith than fact. While flashbacks to Bergoglio's conflicted times during the 1970s Aregentiana military Junta seem to bear accuracy many liberties are taken in addressing the complex histories of both characters. As well as the narrative framework of the whole film most likely being a work of complete fiction as there appears to be no official record of the two men meeting before Benedict's shocking retirement. Meirelles and McCarten begin the film wrestling with the complicated ideas of faith surviving in a tumultuous world where modern Catholicism especially has become synonymous with controversy. It then turns into how faith itself unites as, within the film, Benedict and Bergoglio confront their past and present sins and debate what type of man should be Pope. The narrative structure initially suggesting Benedict may be looking at Bergoglio as successor but it's him rather confronting his own failures in the papacy. Bergoglio a vocal critic of the church's methodology and more liberal thinker compared to Benedict's conservative hardline thinking wishes to resign his cardinalship but Benedict sees it as a personal attack on his own leadership and wishes to have Bergoglio stay on.
The whole film is an exploration of what Catholicism and faith mean to one another, how it connects people spiritually and that how forgiveness is far more than just a prayer but a continuous odyssey of the soul. We all sin but we are not all religious, I am not Catholic, I actually know very little about the ins and outs of the whole religion and most of the time I feel very negatively towards it all due to the constant stories of sexual abuse towards children. What makes The Two Popes fascinating to someone like me is that it does not preach and try to romanticise everything, its an artistic and beautifully performed film but it wrestles with guilt, shame and these turbulent directions that make the dual pontiffs so very human. Hopkins and Pryce are not performing a rehabilitation act while it may feel like that at times as the little mannerisms of each performance such as Benedict's fondness for Fanta or Bergoglio's national pride for football and dance that just make each character feel all the more real. They initially argue on issues such as child abuse, homophobia and how they church must find ways to reaffirm people's faith as The Two Popes revels in depicting the enormous weight that rests on the shoulders of one man.
The cinematography is gorgeous, intimate and captures great scale despite the majority of the shots being just two men sitting in various rooms. Fernando Stutz's editing is able to keep a fresh flow within the pacing due to the heavy flashback sequences of Bergoglio's youth but César Charlone's use of framing really makes these titans of theology feel so insignificant when truly faced with the power behind their own faith. A thousand years of art, devotion and order are etched into the very walls that Benedict and Bergoglio look upon, small men in the presence of giants. Although one of them doesn't know it yet they have both been selected as its protector and must steer it towards prosperity and conflict arises in how they both believe it must be done. Benedict is status quo and Bergoglio is reform, without adaptation, without movement everything that has been built will crumble from stagnation. Charlone even with all the might of the locations through the beautiful production design is able to capture a real sense of fragility to the very foundation of the whole system, to the men's own emotional state.
Snap zooms, intercutting with flashbacks and general vibrancy to the camera work keeps what could be a very static back and forth so fascinating. The Two Popes which itself is adapted from McCarten's play very much feels like a dramatic treat for two actors to play opposite one another. Hopkins and Pryce even without Meirelles's and Charlone's technique would still utterly captivate as they pour such tangible humanity into two people that many would consider ethereal figures. The two performances are the lynchpin of the entire film and they do not disappoint, subtle comedy and righteous drama both on display as the direction of religion morphs into the two actors exploring the souls of their characters. Pryce shares his role of Bergoglio with Juan Minujín, Minujín depicting the characters in extensive flashbacks exploring how faith can survive in hostility as the Argentian Dirty War is illustrated with such horror. Pryce and Minujín portray Bergoglio almost as a reluctant believer, that the call to be a religious leader is not one he seeks and humbly wishes to remain under the radar, refusing to indulge in the perks of power. It stems from his history during the Dirty War but also Meirelles wishes to make the point of how the best leaders are those who do not wish to lead. A commentary of hindsight on Meirelles's part considering Pope Francis's soaring popularity since assuming the papacy.
Hopkins as Benedict is not treated to flashbacks, his dark secrets are not given visuals the audience is only left to guess but from Pryce's horrified reactions, it would be easy to guess what skeleton in the closet it is referred to. As mentioned before the film doesn't shy away from the controversies of the Catholic church but there are secrets we all probably still don't know locked behind those timeworn doors. Hopkins greatly captures this sense of futility in all this power, Benedict has his curious little eccentricities but he feels so isolated from the pulse of the world, an artefact to an old era. It's a man reckoning with his own legacy, a man who actively sought to be the supreme pontiff but whether it be health, age or failure, Hopkins depicts a man who now would wish to know what will come next. He wants to see first hand what shall come after him, unlike his predecessors, for a sense of control of something else entirely it's not explicitly clear just like the reasonings behind the reality but Meirelles' film ties everything back to this faith.
Benedict is the past but Bergoglio is the future, The Two Popes is an interesting little film filled beautiful moments and performance, that really resonates with both believers and non-believers. It's not gonna convert you but it speaks to these common themes that bind all religions; faith in a higher power to make sense of the madness around you. Benedict and Bergoglio have devoted their lives in service to their faith but Meirelles explores the consequences and connections that are formed because of this service. For all the power the Pope may have, in his eyes and the eyes of Catholics he is merely another servant for an almighty God. The Two Popes despite historical liberties just speaks to that humanity that resides within religion and in the case of its two characters how religion can build a man's life into something extraordinary.
Director: #FernandoMeirelles
Release Date: December 20th 2019
Available exclusively on Netflix
Trailer:
Written review copyright ©CoreyBullochReviews
Images and Synopsis from the Internet Movie Database
Comentarios