The Two Popes (2019)

Behind Vatican walls, the conservative Pope Benedict and the liberal future Pope Francis must find common ground to forge a new path for the Catholic Church.

Director:

Fernando Meirelles

Writer:

Anthony McCarten

Stars:

Jonathan Pryce, Anthony Hopkins, Juan Minujín

Nominated for 4 Golden Globes. Another 7 wins & 20 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Jonathan Pryce	...	Pope Francis
Anthony Hopkins	...	Pope Benedict
Juan Minujín	...	Pope Francis Young
Sidney Cole	...	Cardinal Turkson
Thomas D Williams	...	American Journalist
Federico Torre	...	Medina Estevez
Pablo Trimarchi	...	Militar
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Walter Andrade	...	Mechanic
Juan Miguel Arias	...	Paolo Gabriele
Lisandro Fiks	...	Father Jalics
Fabricio Martin	...	Soldier
Matthew T. Reynolds	...	English Reporter
Vincent Riotta	...	Pope Benedick's Driver
María Ucedo	...	Esther Ballestrine

Storyline

An intimate story of one of the most dramatic transitions of power in the last 2,000 years. Frustrated with the direction of the church, Cardinal Bergoglio (Jonathan Pryce) requests permission to retire in 2012 from Pope Benedict (Anthony Hopkins). Instead, facing scandal and self-doubt, the introspective Pope Benedict summons his harshest critic and future successor to Rome to reveal a secret that would shake the foundations of the Catholic Church. Behind Vatican walls, a struggle commences between both tradition and progress, guilt and forgiveness, as these two very different men confront their pasts in order to find common ground and forge a future for a billion followers around the world. Inspired by true events.

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Plot Keywords:

pope | cardinal the priest | priest | catholic | catholic church | 

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Taglines:

Inspired by true events.

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Genres:

Biography | Comedy | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for thematic content and some disturbing violent images.

Details

Official Sites:

Official Netflix

Country:

UK Italy Argentina USA

Language:

Latin English Spanish Italian French Portuguese German

Release Date:

20 December 2019 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Two Popes

Filming Locations:

Rome, Lazio, Italy

Box Office

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$1,912

Company Credits

Production Co:

Netflix

Technical Specs

Runtime:

125 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Atmos

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

Jonathan Pryce commented on his physical resemblance to Pope Francis at the Toronto International Film Festival: "The day Pope Francis was declared Pope, the Internet was full of images of me and him, and 'Is Jonathan Pryce the Pope?' Even my son texted me, 'Dad are you the Pope?'"

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Goofs

When Cardinal Bergoglio quotes the Bible to Pope Benedict he says it is from Isaiah 41 Chapter 10. It should of course be Chapter 41 Verse 10.

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Connections

Referenced in WatchMojo: Top 10 Movies You'll See at the Oscars in 2020 (2019)

User Reviews

Change and Compromise

The Two Popes directed by Fernando Meirelles (known for the movies City of God, The Constant Gardener) is about Pope Benedict XVI ( a German )and Pope Francis( from Argentina). Anthony Hopkins as Pope Benedict XVI looked majestic in his white robe and was extremely convincing as someone stoic in his demeanor . But then again Anthony Hopkins as Hannibal in the movie Silence of the lambs felt very real too. Jonathan Pryce ( role of the husband in the movie The wife) as Pope Francis , humble but flexible in thinking was very good. The movie focused on personalities of the two Popes and shows how difficult it is to change and to compromise. Conversations between two humans, impeccable in their ways of life , was very down to earth and interesting. I remember watching with my dad the election of Pope Francis and significance of white chimney smoke as explained by News channel reporters on TV in 2013. Having visited Vatican city during April 2019, i enjoyed the cinematography of Sistine Chapel and whole Vatican which was truly amazing in real and on the big screen. Screenplay is great. Excellent acting by Anthony Hopkins. Movie was 2 hr 5 minutes long. Editing some of Pope Francis when young shown in black and white would have made the movie really interesting and perfect for me.