Quartile rating: 7.5/10 · 1 rating
The newly elected Pope suffers a panic attack just as he is about to greet the faithful who have gathered to see him. His advisors, unable to convince him he is the right man for the job, call on a renowned therapist who also happens to be an atheist. But the Pope's fear of his newfound responsibility is one he must face alone. Winner Best Film at the Italian Golden Globes.
Nanni Moretti's film is a genuinely distinctive and warmly humanist take on institutional crisis and existential doubt, using the Vatican as an unlikely setting for exploring fear of responsibility. Michel Piccoli delivers a quietly extraordinary performance as the reluctant pontiff, conveying fragility and dignity with rare subtlety, and Moretti himself is charming as the atheist therapist navigating the absurdity of his situation. The premise is bracingly original and the film's tone — melancholic, gently comic, compassionate — is unmistakably Moretti's own. The plot meanders somewhat in its middle section and the ending, while tonally consistent, is deliberately inconclusive in a way that may frustrate some viewers. Cinematography is competent but unremarkable, serving the story without distinguishing itself. Overall a quietly affecting and singular film that earned its Italian Golden Globe recognition.