The Two Popes (2019)

Behind Vatican walls, the conservative Pope Benedict XVI 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:

Anthony Hopkins, Jonathan Pryce, Juan Minujín

Nominated for 3 Oscars. Another 9 wins & 49 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Anthony Hopkins	...	Cardinal Ratzinger / Pope Benedict
Jonathan Pryce	...	Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio / Pope Francis
Juan Minujín	...	Younger Jorge Bergoglio
Luis Gnecco	...	Cardinal Hummes
Cristina Banegas	...	Lisabetta
María Ucedo	...	Esther Ballestrino
Renato Scarpa	...	Camerlengo
Sidney Cole	...	Cardinal Turkson
Achille Brugnini	...	Cardinal Martini
Federico Torre	...	Protodeacon Estevez
Germán de Silva	...	Father Yorio
Lisandro Fiks	...	Father Jalics
Libero De Rienzo	...	Roberto
Willie Jonah	...	Cardinal Arinze
Sofia Cessak	...	Amalia Damonte (as Sofia Mayra Cessak)

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 church | catholic priest | 

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Taglines:

Inspired by true events.

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Genres:

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

Language:

English Spanish Italian Latin Portuguese French German

Release Date:

20 December 2019 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Two Popes

Filming Locations:

Rome, Lazio, Italy

Box Office

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$243,711

Company Credits

Production Co:

Netflix

Technical Specs

Runtime:

125 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Atmos

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

One of the pizzas ordered for the pope and the cardinal is a "diavola" meaning "the devil" in Italian.

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Goofs

The movie states in the beginning that it is inspired by true events but in fact it is not. Never has there been a meeting between Jorge Bergoglio and pope Benedict XVI in 2012. Their conversation never took place. Bergoglio didn't want to retire but in 2012 he was already 76 years old and in the case of diocesan bishops who have reached 75 years of age it is standard procedure in the Catholic Church for a bishop to hand in his resignation. The usual decision of the pope is to accept the resignation. Also, Benedict didn't inform Bergoglio about his plans to retire and he didn't appoint him as his successor which above all would be impossible since Benedict didn't participate in the conclave in 2013.

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Quotes

Pope Francis: We are seeing a globalization of indifference. There is a culture of conflict, which makes us think only of ourselves. Makes us live in soap bubbles which, however lovely, are also insubstantial. We've become used to the suffering of others. It doesn't affect me. No one in our world feels responsible. Who is responsible for the blood of our brothers and sisters? The refugees washed up on the shores of the Mediterranean? I don't have anything to do with it.Must be someone else. Certainly, not me...

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Crazy Credits

During the end credits, the title characters watch the 2014 FIFA World Cup final.

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Connections

References Rex: A Cop's Best Friend (1994)

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Soundtracks

Blackbird
Written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney
Performed by The Swingle Singers
also Performed by André Mehmari
also Performed by Royal Philharmonic Orchestra

User Reviews

I don't understand .....

..... how a dialogue-based movie could make me sooo immersed in it, i cried three times during the movie. I am not a Christian but OMG their acting and the camera ..... they're soooooo good you must watch it coz I have no words to describe it!