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

If you read ghost-written books, you will discover that story is often offered "as told to" the real writer. With this movie, we are offered the biography of Pope Francis as told to Benedict XVI, the first pope to resign in more than half a millennium.

More than that, it's the tale of their rapprochement: although Benedict was a conservative, and Francis as radical as you could be, they were -- and, as both men are still alive as I write this, are -- motivated by sincere faith, always listening for the voice of a G*d that more secular-minded people like me don't believe in.

The real joy of this movie, though, is not the beautiful settings, nor the elaborate clothes and jewels that cardinals and popes wear -- when he is putting on the robes to assume the See of Rome, Francis refuses the jewels, the red shoes and similar appurtenances, remarking "the carnival is ended". It is the performances, Jonathan Pryce as Francis, Anthony Hopkins as Benedict, talking, arguing, being human with each other. These performances look simple. That is the magic of great actors, directors, writers, cinematographers, to produce something that looks simple and very human by means so arcane that not even the professionals can be sure of getting it right.

Real life can be quite amazing. And while I was not entirely aware of what happened back when the new pope was going to be elected, seeing this, it kind of makes sense. Than again, who knows how much of what we see here is true or happened exactly the way it is being shown.

The actors are top notch and the timeline is quite something. It may be a bit too much characters and story for some, but then again, life is supposed to be complicated. Nicely told, nicely played, with many different languages and subtitles to hit you during the movie, this will test your patience, but it is also rewarding