The Two Popes

The religious leaders of the world can feel enigmatic; to be in their presence is a privileged experience. A barrier exists between them and the masses, religious or not. It’s particularly difficult to see the pope as a normal person when he appears inaccessibly high on the balcony above St. Peter’s square. He is the leader of the largest religious group in the world and the sovereign of the smallest country in the world. Even for someone who has no connection with and little knowledge of the Catholic Church he is an important figure. The staged unveiling of the pope’s mystique is what makes The Two Popes such an engaging viewing, even if it is ultimately an uneven one. 

The Two Popes, directed by Fernando Meirelles (City of God, The Constant Gardner), is centered around a fictionalized encounter between Pope Benedict XVI (Anthony Hopkins) and Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio (Jonathan Pryce), as the Pope contemplates early retirement. Hopkins’ presence as Benedict looms over much of the opening sequences as he is elected pope in the wake of John Paul II’s death. However, the film’s main interest is Bergoglio, his checkered past as a Jesuit and Bishop in Argentina, to his journey to Rome, and the friendship with Benedict that prepared him for the papacy. Pryce gives a wonderfully human performance. His uncanny resemblance to Pope Francis gives the role, and the film, a great deal of authenticity.

But it is a manufactured authenticity, while the events of the film are inspired by true events, the scenario of the two popes talking was fabricated. The conversations between Benedict and Bergoglio were created from scratch after extensive research on their real-life counterparts’ statements and beliefs. To the film’s credit, the artificiality of the whole experience almost fades away completely. The scenes set in the present are partially shot in a faux-documentary style. Moments filmed from behind bushes, the fake news footage, and other techniques give the feeling that we’re secretly spying on real confidential conversations.

The movie begins with a sequence showing the death of Pope John Paul II and the election of Benedict XVI. However, the sequence is constructed in a way that appears very improvisational by mixing different styles of filmmaking and jumbled editing techniques. It’s certainly an engaging start to the film but an interesting choice when compared to the most restrained style of the central conversation scenes. 

The Two Popes wants to present a philosophical dialogue as it’s center but takes detours to explore Bergoglio’s history. It needed to focus more on the former. We’re constantly in and out of flashbacks which we have little investment in. The real meat of the story is the religious debate and the “inside look” at the Vatican. Everything else feels like a separate movie trying to do its own thing which slows down the entire affair. 

The shifting styles, while eclectic and visually stimulating, don’t necessarily always match up with the substance of the narrative. There’s plenty of great material here presented in an entertaining way but not in a way that consistently deepens the film’s central themes. What ultimately succeeds is the two great lead performances and the dialogue between them. If the subject matter interests you, then the movie will be a worthwhile experience, beyond that it may not be as rewarding for those not already sold.