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

Pope Benedict XVI is the first pope in almost 600 years who became "pope emeritus" (pope retired) after resigning.

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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

Two strong, honest, performances giving plenty of food for thought.

This is quite a clever piece of work. Both performances demonstrate a complex, sometimes conflicted, humanity in a touching and thought-provoking way. Hopkins, as the scholarly Benedict XVI coming to realise that he no longer feels capable - for various reasons - to remain Pontiff and Pryce as Cardinal Bergoglio with whom he has little in common, and who has come to Rome to seek his permission to retire. The story focuses more on the trials and tribulations of Bergoglio as he rises to prominence in the Jesuit order and navigates the political turmoil of Argentina in the 70s and 80s where he develops a much less "conservative" approach to the issues facing the Catholic Church than his Pope. By the conclusion, however, both men appear reconciled to the honesty and integrity of the other. The extent to which the detail is true is anyone's guess - but by using humour, sport and even ABBA, this proves to be an intimate observational film that is certainly one of Netflix' better commissions.