"The Two Popes" on Netflix. Amazing!

It is difficult to say how surprised I was by this movie. Really, a story about Popes?  As a former Catholic, huge emphasis on "former", I have no allegiance to the church or to any Pope. Nor do I have a belief in the God the church preaches. In other words, I am much more of an atheist than anything else.

But this movie is remarkable in that you don't have to believe in anything to like it. Not in Catholicism, not in Christianity, not in any god in any religion, not in any faith. In the simplest explanation, this is a movie about two men talking and sharing their life story, sharing their fractured faiths and asking for understanding and possibly for forgiveness.

There is little action here. It's all talk, almost all dialogue. But that dialogue is brilliant. The writing is spot-on remarkable. The acting is even better than that, it is superb. Something I read recently mentioned "The Two Popes" as a study in reading faces, and that is so true. So much is written on the faces of the two actors, their faces draw you in and then their words lock you in.

Anthony Hopkins and Jonathan Pryce are perfect as the two Popes.  There are some nice scenes of Rome, especially of St. Peter's Square, where I have stood with Tom, watching the Pope-of-the-Moment give his Sunday address. 

I think the main thing about this movie is that it makes the role of Pope seem much more real than we see it media. Here are two men, very intelligent men, grappling with their own frailties and their own weaknesses, while at the same time wielding so much power. 

It's difficult to explain, but this is one of the best movies I have seen in a couple of years.  Seriously, put assumptions behind you and watch it. You will not be disappointed.

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