The Two Popes

"Inspired by true events."

2019 2h 5m EN

🙌

7.5

BANGER

★7.5TMDB · 3,240

DramaHistory

Synopsis

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Frustrated with the direction of the church, Cardinal Bergoglio requests permission to retire in 2012 from Pope Benedict. 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.

“Inspired by true events.”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Jonathan Pryce
Jorge Bergoglio / Pope Francis
Anthony Hopkins
Joseph Ratzinger / Pope Benedict XVI
Juan Minujín
Young Jorge Bergoglio
Luis Gnecco
Cardinal Hummes
Cristina Banegas
Lisabetta
María Ucedo
Esther Ballestrine
Renato Scarpa
Camerlengo
Sidney Cole
Cardinal Turkson

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Fernando Meirelles
Writers: Anthony McCarten
Languages: German, Spanish, French, English, Italian, Latin, Portuguese
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 7 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 7 languages: German, Spanish, French, English, Italian, Latin, Portuguese.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Fernando Meirelles, shot by César Charlone. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Bryce Dessner. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Fernando Stutz shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Jonathan Pryce and Anthony Hopkins and Juan Minujín carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Inspired by true events.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt8404614 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Fernando Meirelles directs. César Charlone behind the camera. Bryce Dessner scores. Fernando Stutz cuts. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in German, Spanish, French, English, Italian, Latin, Portuguese.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Released 7 years ago.
2Dialogue crosses 7 languages: German, Spanish, French, English, Italian, Latin, Portuguese.
3Directed by Fernando Meirelles, shot by César Charlone. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Bryce Dessner. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Fernando Stutz shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Jonathan Pryce and Anthony Hopkins and Juan Minujín carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "Inspired by true events.".
8IMDB entry: tt8404614 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Classified under 10 themes, including "vatican (holy see)", "pope", "based on true story", "catholic".

The technical file

Cinematography: César Charlone
Original score: Bryce Dessner
Editing: Fernando Stutz
Production design: Mark Tildesley
Costume design: Beatriz De Benedetto
Makeup / hair: Marese Langan
Sound: Mike Dowson
Runtime: 125 min · 2h 5m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Box office: $232,638
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG-13
IMDB: The Two Popes (2019)

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Fernando Meirelles

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Community reviews

What people are saying

Manuel São Bento2019-12-30
★ 7/10
Anthony Hopkins and Jonathan Pryce deliver two award-worthy performances, elevating a surprisingly humorous story about religion. Not a fan of the editing and the film goes on for a bit too long. Rating: B
CinemaSerf2022-03-27
★ 7/10
This is quite a clever piece of work. Both performances demonstrate a complex, sometimes conflicted, humanity in a touching and thought-provoking way. Hopkins, as the scholarly Benedict XVI coming to realise that he no longer feels capable - for various reasons - to remain Pontiff and Pryce as Cardinal Bergoglio with whom he has little in common, and who has come to Rome to seek his permission to retire. The story focuses more on the trials and tribulations of Bergoglio as he rises to prominence in the Jesuit order and navigates the political turmoil of Argentina in the 70s and 80s where he develops a much less "conservative" approach to the issues facing the Catholic Church than his Pope. By the conclusion, however, both men appear reconciled to the honesty and integrity of the other. The extent to which the detail is true is anyone's guess - but by using humour, sport and even ABBA, this proves to be an intimate observational film that is certainly one of Netflix' better commissions.