''The Two Popes'' is a 2019
biographical drama
Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has b ...
film directed by
Fernando Meirelles
Fernando Ferreira Meirelles (; born 9 November 1955) is a Brazilian film director, producer and screenwriter. He is best known for co-directing the film '' City of God'', released in 2002 in Brazil and in 2003 in the U.S. by Miramax Films, whic ...
and written by
Anthony McCarten, adapted from McCarten's play ''The Pope'' which premiered at
Royal & Derngate Theatre in 2019. Predominantly set in the
Vatican City
Vatican City (), officially the Vatican City State ( it, Stato della Città del Vaticano; la, Status Civitatis Vaticanae),—'
* german: Vatikanstadt, cf. '—' (in Austria: ')
* pl, Miasto Watykańskie, cf. '—'
* pt, Cidade do Vati ...
in the aftermath of the
Vatican leaks scandal
The Vatican leaks scandal, also known as Vati-Leaks, is a scandal beginning in 2012 initially involving leaked Vatican documents, exposing corruption; in addition, an internal Vatican investigation has purportedly uncovered the blackmailing of ho ...
, the film follows
Pope Benedict XVI
Pope Benedict XVI ( la, Benedictus XVI; it, Benedetto XVI; german: link=no, Benedikt XVI.; born Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger, , on 16 April 1927) is a retired prelate of the Catholic church who served as the head of the Church and the sovereig ...
, played by
Anthony Hopkins
Sir Philip Anthony Hopkins (born 31 December 1937) is a Welsh actor, director, and producer. One of Britain's most recognisable and prolific actors, he is known for his performances on the screen and stage. Hopkins has received many accolad ...
, as he attempts to convince
Jorge Mario Cardinal Bergoglio, played by
Jonathan Pryce, to reconsider his decision to resign as an archbishop as he confides his own intentions to
abdicate the papacy.
The film premiered at the
Telluride Film Festival on August 31, 2019. It began a
limited theatrical release in the United States on November 27, 2019, and in the United Kingdom on November 29, 2019, and started digital streaming on December 20, 2019, by
Netflix
Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a ...
. The performances of Pryce and Hopkins, as well as McCarten's screenplay, received high praise from critics, and all three men received nominations for their work at the
Academy Awards
The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...
,
Golden Globes
The Golden Globe Awards are accolades bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association beginning in January 1944, recognizing excellence in both American and international film and television. Beginning in 2022, there are 105 members of ...
and
British Academy Film Awards.
Plot
In April 2005,
Cardinal
Cardinal or The Cardinal may refer to:
Animals
* Cardinal (bird) or Cardinalidae, a family of North and South American birds
**'' Cardinalis'', genus of cardinal in the family Cardinalidae
**'' Cardinalis cardinalis'', or northern cardinal, t ...
Jorge Mario Bergoglio
Pope Francis ( la, Franciscus; it, Francesco; es, link=, Francisco; born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, 17 December 1936) is the head of the Catholic Church. He has been the bishop of Rome and sovereign of the Vatican City State since 13 March 2013. ...
,
Archbishop of Buenos Aires, is called to the
Vatican after the
death of Pope John Paul II to elect a new pope. Cardinal
Joseph Ratzinger
Pope Benedict XVI ( la, Benedictus XVI; it, Benedetto XVI; german: link=no, Benedikt XVI.; born Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger, , on 16 April 1927) is a retired prelate of the Catholic church who served as the head of the Church and the soverei ...
, a prominent German
prelate
A prelate () is a high-ranking member of the Christian clergy who is an ordinary or who ranks in precedence with ordinaries. The word derives from the Latin , the past participle of , which means 'carry before', 'be set above or over' or 'pre ...
, is elected Pope Benedict XVI; Cardinal Bergoglio receives the second-highest vote count. Seven years later, the
Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwide . It is am ...
is embroiled in the
Vatican leaks scandal
The Vatican leaks scandal, also known as Vati-Leaks, is a scandal beginning in 2012 initially involving leaked Vatican documents, exposing corruption; in addition, an internal Vatican investigation has purportedly uncovered the blackmailing of ho ...
, and Benedict's tenure has been tainted by public accusations regarding his role in the coverup.
Cardinal Bergoglio has submitted his resignation as archbishop, but the Vatican has not responded. As he prepares to go to
Rome
, established_title = Founded
, established_date = 753 BC
, founder = King Romulus ( legendary)
, image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg
, map_caption ...
and personally deliver his resignation, he is summoned to the Vatican. Bergoglio and Benedict meet at the
Palace of Castel Gandolfo, the Pope's summer residence. The two debate the roles of God and the Church. Benedict recounts what led him to the priesthood and talks about his interests. The two watch Benedict's favorite TV show, ''
Inspector Rex'', which further delays their discussion about Bergoglio's resignation.
Bergoglio recounts his early life and path into the church. He ended his marital engagement and joined the
Jesuits
, image = Ihs-logo.svg
, image_size = 175px
, caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits
, abbreviation = SJ
, nickname = Jesuits
, formation =
, founders = ...
. He was met by Father
Franz Jalics
Franz Jalics S.J. ( hu, Jálics Ferenc; 16 November 1927 – 13 February 2021) was a Hungarian-born Jesuit priest and author of books on Christian spirituality.
Life
Jalics was born in Budapest, Hungary. At a young age, he attended a school f ...
and Father Orlando Yorio, who become his spiritual friends. Benedict rejects Bergoglio's resignation, saying the world would perceive it as a vote of no confidence in his leadership and weaken the Catholic Church. Benedict and Bergoglio put aside their differences and chat informally, gradually warming to each other.
The next day, the two go to the Vatican by helicopter. Benedict continues to avoid discussing Bergoglio's resignation. Benedict meets with Cardinal Bergoglio in the
Room of Tears
The Room of Tears (Italian: ''Sala de Lacrima''), also called The Crying Room, is a small antechamber within The Sistine Chapel in Vatican City, where a newly elected pope changes into his papal cassock for the first time.
Sistine Chapel
The Roo ...
within the
Sistine Chapel, where he confides his intention to resign the papacy. Shocked, Bergoglio objects and argues for church tradition and continuity. Benedict says his opinions regarding tradition are different now and believes change is essential. Benedict says Bergoglio could be his successor, but Bergoglio rejects the idea, citing the perception that he had collaborated with the
Argentine military dictatorship
The National Reorganization Process (Spanish: ''Proceso de Reorganización Nacional'', often simply ''el Proceso'', "the Process") was the military dictatorship that ruled Argentina from 1976 to 1983, in which it was supported by the United Sta ...
, and his failure to protect his friends and confront the
junta
Junta may refer to:
Government and military
* Junta (governing body) (from Spanish), the name of various historical and current governments and governing institutions, including civil ones
** Military junta, one form of junta, government led by a ...
may have damaged his reputation. Following the "
Dirty War
The Dirty War ( es, Guerra sucia) is the name used by the military junta or civic-military dictatorship of Argentina ( es, dictadura cívico-militar de Argentina, links=no) for the period of state terrorism in Argentina from 1974 to 1983 a ...
", Bergoglio was removed as head of the Argentinian Society of Jesus and exiled to serve as an ordinary parish priest to the poor for the next ten years.
Over time, Father Jalics reconciled with Bergoglio, but Bergoglio regrets never reconciling with Father Yorio. Memories of his actions and inaction during the dictatorship continually haunt him. Benedict comforts Bergoglio, reminding him that the freedom to choose to help is often stifled; he gives Bergoglio
absolution. Then Benedict confesses he was aware of
Father Maciel's long-term sexual misconduct and regrets staying silent, implying that this is the reason why he wants to resign: Benedict no longer hears God's words and affirms his wish to abdicate. Bergoglio comforts Benedict and offers him absolution as well. The two emerge from the room, surprising tourists. Benedict goes outside to greet the masses and take
selfie
A selfie () is a self-portrait photograph, typically taken with a digital camera or smartphone, which may be held in the hand or supported by a selfie stick. Selfies are often shared on social media, via social networking services such ...
s with them. Bergoglio departs for Argentina.
One year later, Pope Benedict XVI delivers
his resignation to the world. Bergoglio is elected as his successor in the
2013 papal conclave
The 2013 papal conclave was convened to elect a pope to succeed Pope Benedict XVI following his resignation on 28 February 2013. After the 115 participating cardinal-electors gathered, they set 12 March 2013 as the beginning of the conclave. ...
and becomes Pope Francis. The two popes watch the
2014 FIFA World Cup Final between their national home teams,
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwee ...
and
Argentina
Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest ...
, together.
Cast
Production
On September 6, 2017,
Netflix
Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a ...
announced that it would produce the film, directed by
Fernando Meirelles
Fernando Ferreira Meirelles (; born 9 November 1955) is a Brazilian film director, producer and screenwriter. He is best known for co-directing the film '' City of God'', released in 2002 in Brazil and in 2003 in the U.S. by Miramax Films, whic ...
and written by
Anthony McCarten.
Jonathan Pryce and
Anthony Hopkins
Sir Philip Anthony Hopkins (born 31 December 1937) is a Welsh actor, director, and producer. One of Britain's most recognisable and prolific actors, he is known for his performances on the screen and stage. Hopkins has received many accolad ...
would play
Cardinal Bergoglio and
Pope Benedict XVI
Pope Benedict XVI ( la, Benedictus XVI; it, Benedetto XVI; german: link=no, Benedikt XVI.; born Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger, , on 16 April 1927) is a retired prelate of the Catholic church who served as the head of the Church and the sovereig ...
, respectively. Filming was set to begin that November in Argentina. The film began production in Rome in April 2018.
Filming locations included a refugee camp in Rome, a full-size reproduction of the
Sistine Chapel interior created at the
Cinecittà
Cinecittà Studios (; Italian for Cinema City Studios), is a large film studio in Rome, Italy. With an area of 400,000 square metres (99 acres), it is the largest film studio in Europe, and is considered the hub of Italian cinema. The studio ...
studios in Rome, an area outside
Castel Gandolfo
Castel Gandolfo (, , ; la, Castrum Gandulphi), colloquially just Castello in the Castelli Romani dialects, is a town located southeast of Rome in the Lazio region of Italy. Occupying a height on the Alban Hills overlooking Lake Albano, Castel G ...
(the pope's summer palace), various locations in Rome as stand-ins for scenes at the Vatican, and poor areas of
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...
. The
St. Peter's Square plaza was recreated using
computer-generated imagery
Computer-generated imagery (CGI) is the use of computer graphics to create or contribute to images in art, printed media, video games, simulators, and visual effects in films, television programs, shorts, commercials, and videos. The image ...
.
Some scenes were shot in
Royal Palace of Caserta and in
villa Farnese
The Villa Farnese, also known as Villa Caprarola, is a pentagonal mansion in the town of Caprarola in the province of Viterbo, Northern Lazio, Italy, approximately north-west of Rome. This villa should not be confused with the Palazzo Farnese a ...
in Caprarola, near Rome. The poster image is the hunting lodge of villa Farnese.
Much of the coverage of the film in the news media has centered on the reconstructed Sistine Chapel, built in a studio during an eight-week period. To create a realistic look for the artwork, the producers hired a company that produced a "
stick-on tattoo"
of the walls and ceiling. "The ink from the tattoo is absorbed into the plaster so
..we got all the texture and the vibrancy", said production designer Mark Tildesley. The interior set is actually an inch or two larger than the real Chapel interior in the Vatican.
Release
The film had its world premiere at the
Telluride Film Festival on August 31, 2019. It also was screened at the
2019 Toronto International Film Festival
The 44th annual Toronto International Film Festival was held from 5 to 15 September 2019. The opening gala was the documentary film '' Once Were Brothers: Robbie Robertson and The Band'', directed by Daniel Roher, and the festival closed with a ...
on September 9.
Netflix
Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a ...
gave the film a theatrical
limited release in the United States beginning November 27, 2019, and in the United Kingdom beginning November 29, 2019. It then started streaming it on its service on December 20, 2019.
Reception
Box office
Although Netflix does not publicly disclose the theatrical box office of its films, ''
IndieWire
IndieWire (sometimes stylized as indieWIRE or Indiewire) is a film industry and review website that was established in 1996. The site's focus was predominantly independent film, although its coverage has grown to "to include all aspects of Holl ...
'' estimated ''The Two Popes'' grossed around $32,000 from four theaters in its opening weekend (and a total $48,000 over its five-day Thanksgiving opening weekend). The site wrote that "the drama is starting more modestly than other recent Netflix titles. Attendance at the two high-end Landmark theaters in New York and Los Angeles has been modest. Neither small-scale auditorium sold out." The film then made an estimated $50,000 from 19 theaters in its second weekend, and $200,000 from 150 in its third. In its fourth week, upon being released digitally onto Netflix, the film made $90,000 from 44 theaters.
Critical response
According to ''
Variety'', ''The Two Popes'' was "an unexpected hit" at its premiere at the Telluride Film Festival, receiving praise for its humor and the two lead actors' performances. On the review aggregator
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wan ...
, the film holds an approval rating of 90% based on 229 reviews, with an average of . The site's critics consensus reads, "Led by outstanding performances from its well-matched leads, ''The Two Popes'' draws absorbing drama from a pivotal moment in modern organized religion." On
Metacritic
Metacritic is a website that aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created by Jason Dietz, Marc ...
, the film has a weighted average score of 75 out of 100, based on 39 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews."
Accolades
Historical authenticity
Although much of the content is based on historic events, including speeches and philosophical debates that were published, most other aspects were fictionalized: "What you always do is you speculate", McCarten said in an interview with ''
TheWrap
''TheWrap'' is an American online news website covering the business of entertainment and media via digital, print and live events. It was founded by journalist Sharon Waxman in 2009.
Awards
''TheWrap'' has won awards for its journalism, incl ...
''. "Hopefully that speculation is based in facts and the truth, and hopefully it's inspired", he added.
In its coverage of the film, ''
Time
Time is the continued sequence of existence and event (philosophy), events that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various me ...
'' pointed out that the two popes' relationship has not been as smooth as in the fictionalized version. In April 2019, Pope Benedict released a 6,000-word letter blaming the
clergy sex abuse scandal
There have been many cases of sexual abuse of children by Catholic priests, nuns, Popes and other members of religious life. In the 20th and 21st centuries, the cases have involved many allegations, investigations, trials, convictions, ac ...
on factors including the "dangerously liberal theological ideas" within the Church. While the letter did not criticize Francis' papacy, its content was described by ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'' as "the most significant undercutting yet of the authority of Pope Francis". ''
The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers '' The Observer'' and '' The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the ...
'' also discussed a letter that Benedict had written, complimentary of Cardinal
Joachim Meisner
Joachim Meisner (25 December 1933 – 5 July 2017) was a German cardinal of the Catholic Church. He was the immediate past Archbishop of Cologne, serving from 1989 until his resignation was accepted by Pope Francis in 2014. He previously serve ...
, who was an outspoken critic of Pope Francis, and added that a 2020 book partly authored by Benedict "was intervening to halt Pope Francis relaxing celibacy rules".
There remains a scene in the film which has sparked some debate among Catholic publications which includes an imagined confession from Pope Benedict to Bergoglio (Francis), where he mentions
Marcial Maciel before the audio fades out and the audience sees but do not hear his confession. J. Peter Nixon, in the publication ''U.S. Catholic'', decried "the film's implication that it was Benedict who allowed Father Marcial Maciel Degollado to remain leader of the
Legionaries of Christ despite mounting evidence that he was a sexual predator. It was during the papacy of
Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...
, however, that efforts to investigate Maciel were repeatedly frustrated. It was Benedict who ultimately removed him." However, publications including ''
National Catholic Reporter'' and ''
Slate Magazine'' have disagreed, with ''Slate'' writing: "For years, Joseph Ratzinger also refused to act against Maciel. As the prefect responsible for enforcing church doctrine, he chose to handle the
church's sexual abuse through secrecy rather than transparency. For almost a quarter-century, Ratzinger failed to push for the detachment of Marcial Maciel from the position of privilege he enjoyed for so long. He finally did so in 2006, when, as Pope, he found the courage to remove Maciel from the priesthood and send him to Mexico to supposedly focus on a 'discreet life of penance and prayer'. If Maciel followed Benedict's spiritual marching orders, it certainly did not lead to atonement. He never admitted any wrongdoing, much less showed remorse. He died in 2008 without ever asking for forgiveness."
Bishop
Robert Barron criticized the film for its characterization of Benedict in an article on the
Word on Fire website titled "The One Pope."
References
External links
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*
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Two Popes, The
2019 films
2019 biographical drama films
American biographical drama films
American films based on plays
British biographical drama films
British films based on plays
Cultural depictions of Pope Benedict XVI
Dirty War films
Italian-language Netflix original films
Films about popes
Films directed by Fernando Meirelles
Films produced by Dan Lin
Films set in the 1950s
Films set in 1976
Films set in 2005
Films set in 2012
Films set in 2013
Films set in 2014
Films set in Buenos Aires
Films set in Vatican City
Films shot at Cinecittà Studios
Films shot in Buenos Aires
Films with screenplays by Anthony McCarten
Italian biographical drama films
Italian films based on plays
English-language Netflix original films
Works about Pope Francis
American nonlinear narrative films
British nonlinear narrative films
Italian nonlinear narrative films
2019 drama films
Spanish-language Netflix original films
2010s American films
2010s British films