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The Two Popes (2019) Review
The Vatican and the
papacy are always relevant. Whether you’re studying its glorious and sordid
history or focusing on current events, you’re always going to get plenty of
eyeballs. So when Netflix decided to explore nearly everything the position
stands for with two very capable actors, you could say those very same eyeballs
bulged out of their sockets.
The two actors in
question? Anthony Hopkins as Pope Benedict XVI, who needs no introduction, and
Jonathan Pryce as Pope Francis: who has been enjoying a career resurgence these
past five years. That’s a hollow selling point all on its own, but the script
from Anthony McCarten manages to keep things interesting, avoiding a preachy or
overly historical tone, and allowing the humanity of these two individuals to
really thrive.
At the end of the day, this is a film about two very powerful people having a mostly honest conversation with one another. There’s plenty of room for mental chess between the two titans (even if one is about to ascend to that honour eventually), but the film as a whole is not adversarial. Equal parts character study and period piece; the film jumps around timelines to shed some light on Pope Francis’ backstory as he struggles to accept Benedict’s resignation.
Cinematographer
César Charlone makes some interesting choices throughout, framing each pope in
a way that really hammers the dichotomy between them. You can definitely see
the limitations of the sets provided though, with the exception of the
now-famous Sistine Chapel interior replica. As expected, the real heavy-lifting
is done by both Hopkins and Pryce, neither of which over-act and provide
powerful, subdued performances.
Over time, the film
does lose its bite. The first half is a tour de force, as Pryce literally warms
up to Hopkins and the two come to an eventual understanding. In the latter half
the story sort of devolves into a buddy comedy, leaning far too hard into the
light fare that Two Popes only flirts with before that point. It works to an
extent, especially during some of the more emotional moments (mostly more
backstory detours), but the tonal shifts can be jarring.
The Two Popes doesn’t really venture into new territory in terms of anything to say on the papacy itself but humanizes two larger-than-life figures in a relatable and fairly effective manner. It doesn’t accomplish everything it sets out to do, but further cements the career of the two leads and everyone involved in the project.
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