"Better a fallen rocket than never a burst of light."
~ Tom Stoppard, The Invention of Love

Sunday, January 26, 2020

The Two Popes (2019, PG-13)


This isn’t a movie I prioritized seeing before the Oscars, but I wound up watching it when another movie fell through on a day when I had time to catch something (anything that’s available on streaming is going to be an appealing prospect just for the ease of seeing it.) Definitely glad I got around to it, because it’s quite a gem of a film.

In 2012, Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio (not yet Pope Francis) is thinking of retiring from his position as archbishop of Buenos Aires. However, when Pope Benedict won’t respond to his letters requesting permission to do so, he buys a plane ticket to the Vatican to plead his case in person. The two men, who represent very different pillars of the Catholic Church, discuss faith, duty, their own pasts, and the future of the Church.

I’m not Catholic and have only a fairly surface knowledge of any given Pope. I know that Pope Francis is considered by many to be a figure for reform and that Francis and Benedict’s recent dueling opinions on celibacy for priests was a major deal, especially because a living former Pope contradicting a current Pope’s words is not a thing that happens. But there was a lot to this story that I didn’t know. Well, to be fair, I guess I don’t know how much of this is precisely true – I presume all the private conversations between Benedict and Jorge are made up, but I don’t know what else might be. Either way, this story is a lot more dramatic and interesting than I expected it to be.

As Jorge and Benedict, Jonathan Pryce and Anthony Hopins are both fantastically good, nominated for Leading Actor and Supporting Actor respectively. I especially love Pryce’s performance as Jorge. The whole portrayal is really lovely (and actually reminds me a bit of A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, hehe.) Jorge exudes warmth wherever he goes, and when he challenges Benedict, it’s not to be rebellious or obstinate as Benedict supposes; rather, it’s out of genuine fear for the direction in which the Church is going and what Jorge feels is their duty to the people. Meanwhile, Hopkins’s Benedict is somehow both spartan and pampered. He is severe and solitary, but he also summers at a lavish palace, where his gardeners grow the organic produce that’s flown to the Vatican for his meals when he’s there. He views Jorge as a troublemaking upstart and, at almost the same instant, is jealous of what he views as Jorge’s easy relationship with God and unassuming confidence in his beliefs. There’s a lot of terrific stuff here for two great actors to chew on, and they do a great job with it.

In addition to the acting nods for Pryce and Hopkins, the film is also up for Adapted Screenplay, adapted from screenwriter Alexander McCarten’s own play on the subject. I hadn’t previously known it was adapted from a play, but it makes complete sense. It’s totally structured like a play, with the long unbroken scenes of two heavyweight actors just sitting in a room talking to each other. Common belief says you can’t get away with that in a movie, but you can when it’s done right.

Warnings

Violence, drinking, and thematic elements (including discussion of child sexual abuse.)

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