While at a Crossroads, a Cardinal and Pope Seek Help from Each Other

Anthony Hopkins (left) and Jonathan Pryce in "The Two Popes"
Photo Credit: RottenTomatoes.com

While the election of a new pope is one of the biggest events that could happen in the world, there’s a shroud of secrecy that surrounds it as thousands gather outside the Vatican as the College of Cardinals gathers to submit their votes.

Despite the pope being the leader of the Catholic Church, there are times when he himself even needs guidance, and this is something on which director Fernando Meirelles focuses in his new biographical drama, “The Two Popes,” a captivating true story that takes you into deep and personal conversations with its two main characters that lead to a compelling friendship.

Following the passing Pope John Paul II in April 2005, German Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger (Anthony Hopkins) is elected as Pope Benedict XVI.  Seven years later, the church experiences the Vatican leaks scandal, and Pope Benedict seeks guidance on how to handle it.  When Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio (Jonathan Pryce) travels to the Vatican to submit his resignation, the two will learn about each other and find ways to encourage one another to make important decisions that need to be made.

Pryce gives a performance of someone who’s admirable in their humbleness, but is also experiencing doubts of himself after tragic events in his past, for which he feels responsible.  He presents a sereneness to his character, showing an individual who’s simply just looking for advice on what he should do in terms of resigning or not resigning, all while displaying a quietly troubled persona as he tries to come to terms with the cruelty he saw done to others in his earlier years as a priest during his time under the Argentine military dictatorship in Buenos Aires.

Hopkins’ wonderful performance is one that mirrors Pryce’s, from a narrative standpoint, as both characters wish to resign from their positions.  He portrays Benedict’s changing beliefs and how he thinks the church should adapt to the changing world and exhibits the world-weariness that holding such a position can have on someone, bringing to life a figure who has seen much over the years and is trying to pass his position onto Bergoglio, making sure that it’s taken by an honorable individual.

The chemistry that Pryce and Hopkins bring to their on-screen relationship is equipped with a great deal of affecting interactions.  Their friendship unfolds over conversations about the church, their personal like and dislikes, and their pasts.  These are both meditative performances as the two characters ponder everything that has led them to where they are now, and where they would like to go, and Pryce and Hopkins’s towering work provides unlimited emotion and life to the connection between their characters.

Juan Minujín, who portrays a younger Bergoglio, gives a performance that’s every bit as strong as Pryce’s, showing an enthusiastic man who ventures out to follow his dreams of becoming a member of the Jesuits, but to then call those dreams into question when his country sinks into turmoil, leading to events that leave him guilt-ridden and haunted.  Minujín shows all of the sense of conflict coursing through Bergoglio as he tries to maintain friendships with those who have turned against him, resulting in a performance that helps us see the build up of emotion that comes with the uncertainty of one’s future when that future first seemed so clear.

The screenplay by Anthony McCarten, which is based on his 2017 play, “The Pope,” has a great deal of its runtime focus on its two main characters, creating a portrait of a pair of individuals who must try to solve a problem that has them both wishing to resign from their positions, and the interactions that they share offer plenty of details concerning both characters that helps us become invested in their growing friendship as they bond over the notion of resigning.

Within his script, McCarten also provides some extensive flashbacks that focus on Bergoglio’s time as a Jesuit in Buenos Aires and the political upheaval that transpires.  He goes as far back as the ‘50s, and then continues through the decades as he shows the troubled years of Buenos Aires.  The details of the historical context allow us to see the hardships that Bergoglio and the rest of the city experience, adding considerable depth to Bergoglio’s arc as we see how the events from his past have rested on his mind for many, many years.

The cinematography from César Charlone’s, who worked with Meirelles on “City of God,” “The Constant Gardener,” and “Blindness,” has a documentarian approach to the camerawork, with a lot of the footage having an authentic look to it, as though a filmmaker is actually sitting in front of these two figures and recording candid conversations between them, which allows us to become closer to the characters.  This documentary style is also of great benefit to the movie because of how well it compliments the news footage that’s used throughout the film, and the blend of the documentary style for the scripted parts and the actual news footage provides the story with a more-intimate feel, which, given the bigger context of the narrative, is something that a story like this needs.

Meirelles provides a quiet atmosphere within the Vatican and Benedict’s summer residence of Palace of Castel Gandolfo that allows for the weight of the dialogue to make an appropriate impact.  He allows us to experience the feeling of camaraderie and trust between Benedict and Bergoglio as they confide in each other what they have been wanting to say.

With this captivating story of a pair of religious leaders seeking a source of guidance, “The Two Popes” is an inspirational film of how even those in positions of power should ask for help because, no matter what, everyone eventually needs it.

Grade: A