A small opinion on "The Pope's Succession"

Nolan 2022-11-03 13:22:32

I didn't expect that a biopic with a religious theme could be so lively and playful while ensuring seriousness and profound ideas.

Thanks to the bgm of quick cuts and pop music, these make the audience feel particularly relaxed; the plot uses Pope Francis' love for football, interspersed with football elements, and at the end, the two popes are incarnated as fans of Germany and Argentina to watch 2014 together I especially liked the World Cup final scene, and the same intimate scene with their feelings about the Beatles music, and the scene of the two popes eating pizza and drinking Fanta together.

The film recorded a large number of dialogues between the two popes in the form of pseudo-documentary, which is theologically speculative but interesting. Coupled with the interspersed real images, it restores the history and allows the audience to peep into the deep palace of the Vatican. The most innovative thing is that the film flashes back his religious career through the dictation of Francis, and then conducts his confession on top of it, grasping the main theme, that is, divinity is also human, no matter who has human nature. The "sin" component.

Two old drama bones, Anthony Hopkins and Jonathan Pryce, played Benedict XVI and his successor Francis respectively. The nomination of both Oscars is the greatest affirmation for them. There is no two old people's wonderful acting skills. The movie will be overshadowed.

There are three shortcomings,

One is the over-beautification of real events and characters in the script. Francis' depiction is too approachable and makes people feel unreal; Benedict XVI's abdication is also a bit surreal, giving the crown to a person who is the opposite of himself. Such an understatement.

Second, the film deliberately avoided the most sensitive topic, the child abuse scandal. This topic was one of the main reasons for Benedict XVI's abdication, and it was silenced. I have to suspect that this is a work of whitewashing Vatican PR.

The third point is that the speculation about divinity is only shallow, but it can actually be more profound.

The world is constantly progressing, and religion should also move with the general trend. As a representative of conservatives, Benedict XVI has changed a lot after talking with Francis. He is a brave man.

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Extended Reading

The Two Popes quotes

  • Pope Benedict: My doctor gave it to me. He said,You are in good shape for 86 but very bad shape for a human being. I believe this was a joke.

  • Pope Benedict: You know, there's a saying, uh, God always corrects one pope by presenting the world with another pope. I should... I'd like to see my correction.