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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 15, 2020)
M artin L uther K ing J r . Page 8 2020 special edition January 15, 2020 ‘The Two Popes,’ a Compelling Drama o Pinionated J udge by d arleen o rTega Now that Oscar nominations have been announced, I am pre- paring by own list of the best films of 2019--and as usual, al- most none of my picks are gar- nering Oscar recognition. “The Two Popes” is one of just two exceptions, with well-deserved nominations for its two lead per- formances by Jonathan Pryce (for best actor) and Anthony Hopkins (for best supporting actor) and for its wonderful adapted screenplay by Anthony McCarten. Although neither the film itself nor its tal- ented Brazilian director, Fernan- do Meirelles are receiving recog- nition they also deserve, it’s one of my favorite films of the year. Writer McCarten has worked some real magic here, building a surprisingly engaging story around a series of necessarily in- vented conversations between the current Pope Francis and his im- mediate predecessor, Pope Bene- dict XVI, who took the highly un- usual step of stepping down from the role in 2013. Nearly every other pope has served until death; why did Benedict, a staunch tra- ditionalist who functioned as a guardian of conservative values, make such a dramatically unusu- al decision, especially with some likely sense that his polar oppo- site, Argentine Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, might well succeed him? Because so much of what happens in the world of the Vatican is shielded from the public view, we will never know for sure--but McCarten has found in this compelling question the basis for a worthy investigation into the state of Catholicism and how two men of integrity might well approach questions of faith, community, and leadership. It’s rare to find a film that ap- proaches questions of faith with such nuance and respect--and that understands the relevance of the examination. Those who are not religious may not immediate- ly be drawn to this material, but PhoTo CourTesy n eTFlix A struggle commences between both tradition and progress as two very different men (Anthony Perkins and Jonathan Price) confront elements from their pasts in order to find common ground and forge a future for the Catholic Church in the Oscar- nominated film ‘The Two Popes.’ the filmmakers help you under- stand why you should care. In a world so deeply divided on mat- ters of morality and distribution of resources, religion has so often served to deepen those divides, and these two men have, by all accounts, staked out opposite poles. Drawing from abundant sources reflecting the histories, habits, and ideas of the two men, McCarten has imagined--assum- ing the best of both and according them appropriate respect--how they might converse about their faith, their doubts, and their fun- damental disagreements. Like the British royal family, popes are fa- mous and objects of great scruti- ny while also being shielded from public scrutiny in other respects- -yet, in the tradition of “The Crown,” McCarten’s imagined conversations convince us that his speculations have captured some of what is more deeply true about the two leaders, even if the specific details are invented. Pryce portrays Cardinal Ber- goglio/Pope Francis as a person of ease, humility and compas- sion. His instinct is to connect, as he does with the limo driver sent to retrieve him at the Rome airport, the gardener at the pope’s summer estate, the young guard at the Vatican. His conversations C onTinued on P age 10