A Filmmaker's Review: "Two Popes" (2019)

Now let's start with a new film instead of ones I have seen countless times before. I don't know what possessed me to see this film but I was always interested in it from the moment I knew what it was about. Based on a very recent event (the abdication of Benedict XVI) - it takes into account all the things that went wrong during his reign as the head of the church. From someone who remembers the death of John Paul II, there is a lot to be said about the decline and fall of the modern Catholic Church. But what this film focuses on is the way in which Benedict XVI abdicated and the man who took his place - Pope Francis, the current Pope.

Now if you grew up in the time of this shift from John Paul II to Benedict the XVI you would know how the Catholic Church moved form liberalism back to traditionalism. By the time Benedict XVI abdicated, he had to answer for a lot that had gone wrong, such as the leaking of the documentation that led to the sexual misconduct scandal that Pope Francis is still trying to fix today. And the way in which he ruled by reinforcing rules that the church had already let go in order to move with the times. Pope Francis on the other hand, is a liberalist in all aspects - the exact opposite to Benedict XVI.

This film portrays the moment at which Benedict the XVI is deciding whether to leave the papal office and his meetings with the hesitant cardinal who also is looking at abdication - the soon to be Pope Francis. Benedict XVI must talk him out of leaving the church of Rome and then talk him into the papacy. Let's see how that was done.

First of all, the portrayal of the characters is incredibly accurate. Sir Anthony Hopkins portrays Pope Benedict XVI as a reluctant yet shady man who lives almost in entire glamorous isolation having space, rooms and offices to himself. He lives lavishly and expensively in the seat of St Peter. Whereas, Pope Francis is the exact opposite. Looking to live in a small town and give away his expensive items, his choice to abdicate had come from the church heading down the wrong path - focusing on its wealth rather than its people. When he's talked back into staying he states that he will return the church to its values rather than its monetary aesthetics. The portrayal of these characters isn't only accurate but there is a clear divide between them that we can see as they talk about the Bible, the values of the church and what the church should mean to the people. I think that in this movie, the dialogue serves as the most important aspect in order to tell the story.

There were certain scenes I really enjoyed. Such as in the gardens, Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Francis get into an argument about what the Bible should mean and they're quoting different sections - Pope Francis states "the bigger the sinner, the warmer the welcome..." and that is one of the most incredible lines in the film. The scene in which Pope Benedict XVI is playing the piano is also incredible, it shows that he also has skills that lead him to cope in the real world as well as the one he is encased in. Often we forget that the Pope is a human being too and so, it brings him back down to earth for us. Another scene I liked is the one where Pope Francis arrives in Rome to see the television on which it shows the arrest of a Vatican employee who has accidentally leaked the documents about the sexual misconduct actions of the cardinals.

The movie is quite long and in some parts, you could say that it is relatively boring. But if you know the history behind it, the film becomes exciting to watch because it gives you that look behind closed doors as to why something happened. It was an event so extreme because it hadn't really happened before and at that time, people were beginning to talk. The film itself uses incredible storytelling techniques such as dialogues, newspapers and news reels, announcements etc. all of these official techniques which make the audience believe that yes, this is very real.

The cinematography is pretty standard although there are some incredible scenes of extravagant churches which are made to look far bigger than they actually are. I loved these shots because they were so extreme in comparison to the mundane scenes filled with dialogue. There's a scene where a young Pope Francis walks into a dark church and there is no dialogue except "come in". It is a brilliant few seconds of the film and really adds to the meaning and themes.

In conclusion, there are several reasons you should watch this film. It is an incredible two hours and it has some amazing dialogue. Not only is it based on a true story, it is based on something fairly recent and so, if you remember what happened then this may help you put it into perspective.