Quartile rating: 7/10 · 1 rating
A 9th century woman of English extraction born in the German city of Ingelheim disguises herself as a man and rises through the Vatican ranks.
Pope Joan tackles a genuinely compelling and contested historical legend — a woman disguising herself as a man to become Pope in the 9th century — giving it strong novelty value in its subject matter and feminist historical framing. The plot is serviceable but episodic, covering a lot of ground across decades without deep dramatic focus. Acting is competent across the board without being exceptional. The cinematography is solid period-drama fare but unremarkable. The ending, constrained by the demands of the legend, feels abrupt and dramatically unsatisfying, failing to deliver the emotional catharsis the story builds toward.