Die zwei Päpste

Great actors working absolutely in total harmony and incredible story

It is a very engaging film. I particularly like the scene where the two popes talk in the garden, as it is intense. I am not religious, but it still captivates me.

Much has been made of the brilliance of the two title performers, and deservedly so. Both Hopkins and Pryce are absolutely convincing as German and Argentinean pontiffs who converse in English (conveniently for viewers) as their common language. Each actor is so fresh and alive within the personality of his "character" that I was easily persuaded they may be truer to the souls of these men than the living originals. Not enough credit has been paid to Anthony McCarten, the writer of this complex, layered conversation. It is the kind of dialogue great men wish they had spoken. What courage and skill it takes to undertake such a verbal tour de force. (Imagine if world leaders couldn't hire speech writers. Could Shakespeare's kings and queens really speak as well as he wrote for them?) McCarten has written the scripts for three Oscar-winning actors; isn't it time he was recognized? And Fernando Meirelles is the masterful director who brought all the elements together. This is a renaissance man, adept in many fields, from architecture to cinema--and organic farming as well. He has been nominated for one directing Oscar (for "City of God"), and here he shows his ability to maintain both visual interest and intellectual fascination through two hours of what amounts to an intense, extended talk. That the movie never felt "talky" is a tribute to all four great artists.

I just watched this at TIFF, and thought it was a very charming film. The performances by Pryce and Hopkins were exceptional - very humorous, and the subtleties of there characters made for a fascinating chemistry. Highly recommended!

From the title alone you'd think this is about religion or some kinda propaganda to re-polish the Vatican but it is just not ... It is a two hours of someones life and how change even on the most strict situations can bring progress.

Anthony McCarten wrot an amazing flawless script, I mean in the last five years you'll see his name on Theory of Everything, Darkest Hour, Bohemian Rhapsody and then he brought us this... the directing and visuals ,, and more importantly the beauty of multi sets from Italy to Argentina were all on point.

Now to the cast ... My goodness the duo of Anthony Hopkins and Jonathan Pryce was unbelievable !! the dialogue went like , how can they do this !! you can absolutely sense the level of acting between these two ... It was like a dance ,by the way there was a scene right at the end where they both try to dance tango 😂

Anyway ,, some people will get political and might not like it and probably call it a Hollywood propaganda ,, but it mostly got high review for one reason and one reason only,, because it is a heartwarming story executed brilliantly.