ReelBob: ‘The Two Popes’ ★★★
By Bob Bloom
“The Two Popes” is an exceptional drama that centers on the conflict between a pair of high-church figures, delving into their philosophical differences about the Roman Catholic Church and its place in the world.
The film is propelled by superb performances by Anthony Hopkins as Pope Benedict and Jonathan Pryce as Argentinian Cardinal Bergoglio, the future Pope Francis.
In 2012, Bergoglio requests permission from Benedict to retire. It is a time in which the church has been embroiled in various scandals, including fiscal improprieties at the Vatican bank and the numerous reports of priests sexually abusing children.
Bergoglio has been critical of the pontiff and believes he can best serve the church as a parish priest.
You’d think a movie in which two old white guys basically sit around and debate their theological views would be boring, but you’d be greatly mistaken.
“The Two Popes” crackles as screenwriter Anthony McCarten (“The Theory of Everything,” “Darkest Hour” and “Bohemian Rhapsody”) slowly bridges the gap between the men, eventually allowing them to find common ground in their devotion to the church.
Smartly, McCarten’s screenplay also explains that simply because these are two spiritual individuals, it does not mean they are without the flaws that beset most people. Benedict and Bergoglio may be churchmen, but they also are very human.
Benedict refuses to accept Bergoglio’s resignation. Benedict has a scheme, and, over the course of the film, he slowly reveals it to the cardinal.
Benedict plans to retire in the near future. He is very aware that the outside world is changing and that the church must change with it. He also realizes that he is incapable of accepting newer precepts and ideas that may prevent Catholics from deserting their congregations.
He believes Bergoglio is the dynamic and far-sighted pontiff needed to hold Catholicism together in the 21st century.
The film fittingly displays the difference between the two men — which is more than philosophical and theological. Benedict is more introspective. He has lived a sheltered and academic life and is really rather ill-informed about the outside world.
Bergoglio is more sophisticated and is certain that, to survive, the church must change with the times.
But he also believes he is undeserving of being elevated to the highest office in the Catholic Church. During the period when Argentina was under military rule and opponents to the regime were being taken away, killed, jailed and tortured, Bergoglio kept silent. He feared, if he spoke out, his priests and parishioners would suffer the consequences. Thus, he chose the lesser of two evils.
But his decision still weighs heavily upon his soul; thus, he feels unworthy of someday being elevated to the papal throne.
The dichotomy about guilt, of course, is one of the movie’s sore points. McCarten works to balance both men’s realization of their pasts. However, staying silent about rampant child abuse by priests around the globe cannot come close to remaining silent over a tyrannical regime.
Hopkins and Pryce, though, while not making you overlook that gulf, keep you so engaged that you can at least understand both men’s inadequacies. Seeing these performers portraying godly men who struggle with the weight of their responsibilities and know their own limitations is exciting.
At times, “The Two Popes” may be ponderous, with too many monologues and pronouncements, but how it deals with self-realization and faith transforms it into a meaningful experience.
The movie will be in theaters for a couple of weeks and then can be found on Netflix.
I am a founding member of the Indiana Film Journalists Association. My reviews appear at ReelBob (reelbob.com) and Rottentomatoes (www.rottentomatoes.com). I also review Blu-rays and DVDs. I can be reached by email at bobbloomjc@gmail.com or on Twitter @ReelBobBloom. Links to my reviews can be found on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.
THE TWO POPES
3 stars out of 4
(PG-13), disturbing and violent images, thematic content