The Two Popes

This would have been a fantastic play to watch, especially if it also starred Anthony Hopkins and Jonathan Pryce as the titular popes. This film was made by these two great actors. It was riveting to see Hopkins and Pryce banter off each other, as they acted their faces off with every twitch, glance and side eye. They were like two predators constantly circling around each other, both strong and intelligent, scheming and cunning, both right in their thinking but also not without fault. That dance between these two adversaries was so gracefully depicted and captured - and often in close-ups - by director Fernando Meirelles. “The Two Popes” was so radically different from Meirelles breakout film “City of God” and his last Oscar movie “The Constant Gardener”. This was a lot quieter, introspective and meditative. A lot of the drama, comedy and pathos arose from Anthony McCarten’s great script which was based off his own play. It was smart, witty, biting, theological yet atheistic, but most surprisingly, this film packed an emotional punch despite the audience already knowing how history unfolded. And that is entirely due to Meirelles assured directing, McCarten’s confident script and Hopkins and Pryce’s riveting masterclass in acting. “The Two Popes” may be a lot less snowy than lots of the other films this year, but it is definitely one that should be watched. It does have a chance in Best Adapted Screenplay, and some outside chance for Picture, Actor (Pryce) and Supporting Actor (Hopkins).