The Two Popes - 3 nominations

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role - Jonathan Pryce

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role - Anthony Hopkins

Best Adapted Screenplay - Anthony McCarten

The Two Popes begins with the election of Cardinal Ratzinger to become Pope Benedict, and his church embroiled by child molestation scandals, slowly losing relevance to young Catholics everywhere.  (This, not uncommon to any religion, as younger people are more connected to spirituality and less connected to institutions.  My commentary, not the film's.) . He decides that he would like to resign, which is very rare indeed; most Popes don't live to see their successor.  He confides this desire in Cardinal Bergoglio, a priest who Benedict considers far too liberal but potentially the right man to lead Catholics through worldwide change, and who has come to see the Pope to resign his role and retire.  The film is a conversation and also, a look back to Bergoglio's life, how he decided to become a priest, and his rise during a tumultuous time in Argentina.  They share their demons with each other, and work to hear each others' confessions as they take ownership for their biggest transgressions.  

I've done a lot of reading about these two actual Popes since I saw the film, and this is one of those movies that seems to get a large majority of its facts wrong about each of these men, so a reminder that narrative movies are not documentaries.  (While I have not fact checked this article, I thought this the best of the pieces I read explaining the real history versus what is depicted in the film: https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2019/12/the-two-popes-real-story)

But we are not meant to watch fictional films and expect to learn history.  We watch them for entertainment, for character study, for overcoming obstacles with satisfying resolutions - and if those are the jobs of a film, The Two Popes scores on all counts.  Both actors are outstanding as they always are (this is Pryce's first Oscars nomination.... say what?) and Hopkins' 5th (he won for Silence of the Lambs).  Neither will win his category, but the acting in the film is the centerpiece of the experience, there isn't a lot of flash or folly, the film is primarily two aging men flawlessly holding the attention of the audience for a few hours.

The film is based on a play, and obviously I'm in no position to recommend seeing that.  So, for more information on the child molestation cases against the Catholic church, I'd like to recommend another Oscars nominated documentary called Deliver Us From Evil.

It was an excellent documentary, and relates tangentially to this film.  (and I'll bet you haven't seen it!)

Watch the trailer: