The Two Popes - Two Powerhouse Performances
So this is going to be the first of many reviews of films I got to see at Leeds International Film Festival starting with Fernando Meirelles' 'The Two Popes' a retelling of the lives of Pope Francis and Pope Benedict and their fascinating relationship. I knew absolutely nothing about this film nor the real story behind it, yet it was an absolute treat and such a pleasent suprise.
In many ways, I could just call this 'Jonathan Pryce's Oscar Audition' because it is completely a performance based film. The whole film is essentially a duologue between Anthony Hopkins' Pope Benedict and Pryce's Pope Francis, as it unwinds and explores the theological conflict between these two and their ideologies. It is a slow methodical film essentially dedicating its runtime to unpacking their relationship with infectious humanity. What suprised me the most is how this film uses a very specific religous context yet doesn't aim to convert instead it explores it's context through a more global and human perspective. A line early on summarises the entire idea around it 'the biggest strength a leader can have, is not wanting to be a leader' which resonates throughout as we see these two men contemplate this very ideology.
Hopkins' Pope Francis is a jaded and distant character. He is so closed off, so alienated and so out of touch that at times it is hard to watch. The screenplay wrestles with this fascinating split between portraying this disconnect for comedy or for emotional resonance, Francis is comically ignorant about The Beatles yet a shot of him eating alone with only the glare of a T.V evokes an essential amount of sympathy. He is battling with tradition and revolution, his shut off perspective of the world makes him seem inhuman and a sad portrait of the lasting impacts of the past. Hopkins' is without a doubt fantastic in this role, he portrays this character with authenticity and sympathy yet never shys away from reminding the audience of just how disconnected he is, it is a stellar performance that we've come to expect from Hopkins' throughout his career.
The focus and most essential part of the film is the performance of Jonathon Pryce as Pope Benedict. I've always thought Pryce was a vastly underrated and underappreciated actor and this is not only his best performance but one of the best performances of the year. It helps that the utterly facinating screenplay maintains Benedict as such a humane and likable person, he is oozing in charisma and likability which the first half of the film is dedicated to promoting. The way he interacts with people is so personal and powerful as his love for 'the simpler things' never feels patronising but more empathetic. Pryce sells this with every bone in his body, the amount of pure human auhenticity he brings is astonishing yet when he needs to pull back the curtain he suceeds greatly in creating a sympathetic and complex character. We spend a lot of time delving into this character's past and Huan Minujin, as a younger Benedict, does a brilliant job of breaking down this character through his fascinating past in the film stealing flashback sequence.
The most divisive part of the film is probably the technical elements which i can completely understand. I am personally quite conflicted about the cinematography, it uses a lot of harsh handheld camerawork often in extreme close up with obvious movement and focus pulls. It really works for some scenes, creating this unflinching tension as we witness every minute effort in these performances, but it does occasionally feel a bit repetitive and exhausting, used just a bit too much. However, occasionally Cesar Charlone creates these beautiful wide shots combining prescise framing and utterly beautiful landscaping. The editing suprised me with how inventive and unique it is, the combination of documentary footage is implemented in all the right places. The score and soundtrack are about as inconsistent as the cinematography, they do their job but never really stand out or are essential to a scene's impact. I had a couple of issues with the pacing throughout, it rushes through it's first and last act to dedicate it's time to the second act, this is admittedly a double edged sword as the second act is the film's greatest part but it felt a bit jarring at time.
'The Two Popes' is a beautiful blend of amazing performances, fascinating historical discussion and style to spare. Pryce definitely deserves the Oscar Nomination.
Thanks for reading!
In many ways, I could just call this 'Jonathan Pryce's Oscar Audition' because it is completely a performance based film. The whole film is essentially a duologue between Anthony Hopkins' Pope Benedict and Pryce's Pope Francis, as it unwinds and explores the theological conflict between these two and their ideologies. It is a slow methodical film essentially dedicating its runtime to unpacking their relationship with infectious humanity. What suprised me the most is how this film uses a very specific religous context yet doesn't aim to convert instead it explores it's context through a more global and human perspective. A line early on summarises the entire idea around it 'the biggest strength a leader can have, is not wanting to be a leader' which resonates throughout as we see these two men contemplate this very ideology.
Hopkins' Pope Francis is a jaded and distant character. He is so closed off, so alienated and so out of touch that at times it is hard to watch. The screenplay wrestles with this fascinating split between portraying this disconnect for comedy or for emotional resonance, Francis is comically ignorant about The Beatles yet a shot of him eating alone with only the glare of a T.V evokes an essential amount of sympathy. He is battling with tradition and revolution, his shut off perspective of the world makes him seem inhuman and a sad portrait of the lasting impacts of the past. Hopkins' is without a doubt fantastic in this role, he portrays this character with authenticity and sympathy yet never shys away from reminding the audience of just how disconnected he is, it is a stellar performance that we've come to expect from Hopkins' throughout his career.
The focus and most essential part of the film is the performance of Jonathon Pryce as Pope Benedict. I've always thought Pryce was a vastly underrated and underappreciated actor and this is not only his best performance but one of the best performances of the year. It helps that the utterly facinating screenplay maintains Benedict as such a humane and likable person, he is oozing in charisma and likability which the first half of the film is dedicated to promoting. The way he interacts with people is so personal and powerful as his love for 'the simpler things' never feels patronising but more empathetic. Pryce sells this with every bone in his body, the amount of pure human auhenticity he brings is astonishing yet when he needs to pull back the curtain he suceeds greatly in creating a sympathetic and complex character. We spend a lot of time delving into this character's past and Huan Minujin, as a younger Benedict, does a brilliant job of breaking down this character through his fascinating past in the film stealing flashback sequence.
The most divisive part of the film is probably the technical elements which i can completely understand. I am personally quite conflicted about the cinematography, it uses a lot of harsh handheld camerawork often in extreme close up with obvious movement and focus pulls. It really works for some scenes, creating this unflinching tension as we witness every minute effort in these performances, but it does occasionally feel a bit repetitive and exhausting, used just a bit too much. However, occasionally Cesar Charlone creates these beautiful wide shots combining prescise framing and utterly beautiful landscaping. The editing suprised me with how inventive and unique it is, the combination of documentary footage is implemented in all the right places. The score and soundtrack are about as inconsistent as the cinematography, they do their job but never really stand out or are essential to a scene's impact. I had a couple of issues with the pacing throughout, it rushes through it's first and last act to dedicate it's time to the second act, this is admittedly a double edged sword as the second act is the film's greatest part but it felt a bit jarring at time.
'The Two Popes' is a beautiful blend of amazing performances, fascinating historical discussion and style to spare. Pryce definitely deserves the Oscar Nomination.
Thanks for reading!