‘The Two Popes’ is Transcendent (FILM REVIEW)

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In an already huge year for Netflix, who has not one but two serious contenders for Oscar acclaim with The Irishman and Marriage Story, now comes a surprise dark horse that, even if it gets ignored for the big awards, proves just how the streaming service’s approach to film acquisition will change the game for indie distribution.

The Two Popes, the latest film from City of God director Fernando Meirelles, is a powerhouse of writing and performance that that proves that thought-provoking independent film is nowhere near as close to dead as movie lovers and trades might think. Mourn though we may the lack of theatrical presentations the scene is as alive and vibrant as ever and, with any luck from the decision makers at Netflix, will become a cornerstone for their salvos in the ongoing streaming wars.

Steven Spielberg can shout all he wants about Netflix and the death of the cinematic experience, The Two Popes flies in the face of the idea that the streaming service releases made for TV films. Meirelles has crafted a heartfelt, emotional, surprisingly hilarious, and powerful cinematic meditation on the meaning of love, spirituality, and hope in an era that’s rife with growing darkness. It also happens to be, with a script from screenwriter Anthony McCarten (Bohemian Rhapsody) one of the best written movies of this year.

The Two Popes explores the relationship with Pope Benedict XVI (Anthony Hopkins) and the future Pope Francis (Jonathan Pryce), back when he was simply Cardinal Bergoglio, and the growing rift of the Catholic Church. Benedict, elected to the papacy following the death of Pope John Paul II, represents the old guard and status quo, who are growing concerned with the attempts of liberal reform within the church. Francis, meanwhile, is known for his more progressive agenda and desires to reform the image and practices of The Church.

Frame not-dissimilarly from films like My Dinner With Andre, The Two Popes is, for the most part, Pope Benedict and Cardinal Bergoglio in heated discussion just prior to the announcement of Benedict’s renunciation of his position. Hopkins and Pryce (who became something of a conversation after the ascension of Pope Francis owing to his remarkable likeness to Il Papa) engage in a delicate and often delightful push-pull as each Pope challenges and decries the practices of the other. To watch The Two Popes is to watch two of the finest performers of their generation do what they do best, and it is mesmerizing.

As fantastic as they are to watch, the real star of this show is McCarten’s script. There’s an indelible wit laced throughout his screenplay that more than makes up for the film’s lack of real action—it is, after all, mostly a film of two men talking. Scripts of that sort are the hardest to pull off, but the banter between the two men, as contentious as it often gets, is nothing short of exquisite as they debate the current moment and future of the Church to which they both gave their lives. McCarten captures the humanity not just of the men but of the philosophies they both represent.

While the film could have done more to address the sexual abuse that ran rampant through the Catholic Church for decades, The Two Popes isn’t afraid to lean into the controversies (albeit mildly, in some cases) to explore how the corruption of The Church has affected the organization as a whole. The meeting between the two men comes at a moment of crisis for The Vatican and its billion followers around the globe, which is dramatized by the conflicting viewpoints of both men standing at precipices of new directions in their lives.

All told, however, The Two Popes is another marvel of cinema from Meirelles, a filmmaker unafraid to capture the intimate beauty found in unlikely corners of the human experience. Never mind that most people will only catch this from the comfort of their home, this is cinema at its most pure and most moving. It’s a film that proves you don’t need films with a budgetary equivalent of a small country’s GDP to make an impact and stands firmly against the idea that cinema is a dying form. Studios and distribution houses should take note and recognize that mode of conveyance is hardly indicative of quality in this modern age.

The Two Popes is now streaming on Netflix.