It is thought that a film revolving around the complexities and antiquated nature of the Catholic Church and the forging of a friendship between two Popes would be unlikely to rouse a lot of enthusiasm and interest amongst a young, modern audience today.
This Oscar-nominated film seems to defy these presuppositions, however, as Meirelles and screenwriter McCarten succeed in extracting a playful, important, and, most notably, contemporary depiction of the Vatican City through its references to the World Cup, the enduring Migrant Crisis, LGBT rights and all this whilst ABBA’s Dancing Queen plays melodiously as the background soundtrack.
Nonetheless, it would be untruthful to say that we were engaged with every moment of this two-hour screening, with its slow pace and, for most young spectators, unstimulating theme becoming somewhat tedious at times. Rather comically, this film’s masterful finale appears to follow in the footsteps of most successful dramas today: ending on a high-spirited, optimistic and colourful note, so as to charm (or manipulate?) the spectator into believing they did indeed enjoy the entire viewing.
Review: Netflix's The Two Popes
Source: Flickr / Papist, Flickr / Jerome Delaunay
ARTE E CULTURA
ARTE E CULTURA
Indigo Officer
& Louisa Van Aeken