The Two Popes.
The film was made by Netflix and started streaming on December 20, 2019. It also had a limited theatrical release in the US and UK. The Director was Fernando Meirelles and written by Anthony McCarten. With Jonathan Pryce playing Cardinal Bergoglio and Anthony Hopkins playing Pope Benedict XVI. The film has mostly received positive reviews by critics and the general public. I have to say as a work of art it is a well-made film, well shot and well-paced. The music goes well and helps strengthen the film. The acting too is very good, not just by the main two characters but also by the secondary characters and extras. It is well written as a story and does keep your interest.
However, it takes massive liberties with the historical facts of the church, like the church’s history and its scandals. It also plays fast and loose with the backgrounds of the two main characters Cardinal Bergoglio and Pope Benedict XVI. With an obvious push to make Cardinal Bergoglio look overly Saintly. It pushes very Liberal and heterodox views as reasonable. It does ruin the film. Sadly, many uneducated people who watch this film will take it as fact instead of a piece of fiction. The most dangerous parts being, the tossed in, mistaken historical facts and misinterpretations of church dogma. The story itself is about a frictional series of meetings between the two men. In which they discuss the issues of the church their opinions and Cardinal Bergoglio’s past. It is worth watching if only to know what lies and misinformation they are trying to push on the unsuspecting general public. However, it’s not the worst piece of propaganda made.
RC