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Page 10 M artin L uther K ing J r . 2020 special edition January 15, 2020 ‘The Two Popes’ C onTinued From P age 8 with Pope Benedict give him pause to reflect on his past, as the younger Bergoglio (beautifully played by Argentine actor Juan Minujín) comes to his sense of calling and, as a young church leader, makes decisions he comes to regret during the time of the Argentine military dictatorship. We gain some perspective on what it means to have, for the first time, a pope from the Americas, a Jesuit, and the first pope from outside Europe since the eighth century. In some ways, Anthony Hop- kins has the more difficult task; the film’s sympathies are unmis- takably with Pope Francis, and his Pope Benedict is more formal, particular, and guarded. Yet he is astute; his point of view is based on principle, not merely habit or attachment. Arguments between the two afford compassion to their differing points of view and deftly convey a sense that each can be rigid in his way. They earn our respect as each convincingly earns the respect of the other. Director Meirelles has recre- ated the privileged the world of the Vatican with specificity and, at times, good humor. We see the opulence, the attention to protocol, the elaborate costume changes, the protection for pow- er. Important scenes take place inside the Sistine Chapel, which has been convincingly recreated. Pryce, who has never visited the real Sistine Chapel, has said that he no longer needs to, and indeed, its depiction here is memorable. The film humanizes the trappings of power, allows us to marvel as we question them. In a pivotal scene late in the film, each man addresses his core struggles, his regrets, and each offers the other compassion and, ultimately, absolution, even while Bergoglio acknowledges that “confession cleans the sin- ner’s soul” but “does not help the victim.” Yet when Benedict, the guardian of tradition, indicates that he is considering stepping down, it is Bergoglio who advo- cates for tradition. There are many such shifts in the film, where the two men shift to opposite sides of the argument. And what emerges is a sense of how people of deep conviction might engage in gen- uine dialogue that engages both, and that assists both in the recog- nition of deeper truth. In that late pivotal scene, Pope Benedict speaks with pain about his recent inability to hear God’s voice. By the end of their con- versation, he observes that “I’ve heard [God’s] voice again . . . . and it was the last voice I ex- pected to hear Him speak with. It was your voice.” That may well be something that Pope Benedict never said and never would have said to Pope Francis--but it is ex- actly the mindset a truly devout person would and could have in dialogue with an equally devoted adversary, not the kind of no-win conflicts we normally see and ex- pect. As depicted here, the two popes are two men, evolving and listening for what is deeply true. And there is hope. Darleen Ortega is a judge on the Oregon Court of Appeals and the first woman of color to serve in that capacity. Her movie and theater review column Opinion- ated Judge appears regularly in The Portland Observer. Find her review blog at opinionatedjudge. blogspot.com. Celebrating Martin Luther King Jr. C onTinued From P age 6 For more information, contact: Celeste King Procurement and Contracts Manager 503.802.8541 Celeste.King@homeforward.org homeforward.org “His vision is no different from the vision of other organi- zations that try to do the same thing, to celebrate our commu- nity, but 35 years is a mighty long time to do it consecutive- ly,” he said. “So this year’s program is a really lifetime achievement award in itself for the World Arts Foundation,” Grice said. Another feature of the day- long celebration will be the Victory Village and Market- place with a full range of arts, crafts, services, educational materials, food, photographs, films and “a cultural-rich net- work of arts and education ad- vocates.” “Sunshine Dixon coordi- nates the Village, and it’s like a big reunion,” Grice said. “You can talk in there, while in the auditorium, it’s hush-hush.” To learn more about the Mar- tin Luther King Jr. celebration, log onto the World Arts Founda- tion website at worldartsfounda- tion.org.
