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 12 wins & 55 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.

---

Plot Keywords:

pope | catholic priest | flashback | black and white flashback | confessional | 

---

Taglines:

Inspired by true events.

---

Genres:

Comedy | Drama

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

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

Did You Know?

Trivia

More than half the movie is subtitled for the English audience

---

Goofs

The movie implies that Jorge Bergoglio cooperated with the Argentinian junta and therefore was exiled once the rule of the military was over. This is not true. Bergoglio stopped being the provincial superior of the Society of Jesus in Argentina in 1979 (not 1983 as shown in the movie) because his terms were over at this time. After that he wasn't banished but served as the rector of the Philosophical and Theological Faculty of San Miguel in San Miguel until 1986. It is also not true that Bergoglio became fond of liberation theology at this time. The opposite is true - Bergoglio refused to teach his disciples liberation theology and chose a direct pastoral approach instead. This was the reason for his dismissal in 1986.

---

Quotes

Pope Francis: Where was Christ in all this? Was he taking tea in the presidential palace? Or was he being tortured in prisons, with Yorio and Jalics?

---

Crazy Credits

When the Italian, Argentinian and Uruguayan units are listed in the end credits, their respective national flags are shown on the upper left corner of the screen.

---

Connections

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

---

Soundtracks

Blackbird
Written by Paul McCartney and John Lennon
Performed by André Mehmari
Courtesy of MCD

User Reviews

YOU DO NOT NEED TO BE CATHOLIC TO APPRECIATE TRUTH

Many have started with 'I am not Catholic' as if that is a prerequisite for enjoying the movie. I am not a female and have enjoyed many movies about women. I never served time in prison but have certainly received rich rewards from dramas about prison.

I am not British but I enjoy English actors, who have far more formal training in classical drama than Americans. And these two actors are among the very best ever. The drama may be accurate or not, it does not matter. It is clear that one pope had a different style than the other. Both were sincere on their beliefs and both were men of faith.

I am an atheist but loved the film. That is because I am a skeptical atheist and as I age I think about what a person of faith might feel at my age that I do it feel. Above all,else it is a movie about things we have never seen or thought of, philosophical differences at the highest rank of highest ranks of the Church.

Bravo Netflix!

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 Black and White (some scenes)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1