We Have a Pope: Nanni Moretti

Nanni Moretti's We Have a Pope is one of the gentlest, most breathtakingly honest examinations of faith that has ever graced the cinema. It is about Catholicism, but believers of any denomination of Christianity can find admiration in its truth and compassionate gaze. It is billed as a comedy-drama, but if there is humor to be found in this film, it springs from real life and not contrived circumstances. The film is about the ancient Catholic ceremony of the Papal Conclave, wherein the College of Cardinals elect a new Pope when the seat becomes vacant. After a series of inconclusive votes, the College finally elects Cardinal Melville as the new Pontiff. But he is horrified of the honor, convinced of his unworthiness. He flees before his public introduction to the masses in a fit of terror. As the spokesman of the Holy See tries to placate the press and the masses who have assembled for the election ("He felt the need to go into prayer for the time being"), the Vatican calls in a psychoanalyst named Professor Brezzi. A secular man of science, Brezzi is constantly at odds with the antiquated customs of the Vatican. But here is what I mean about this film being honest. Instead of using Brezzi as a soapbox to condemn the supposed backwardness of the Vatican (and he could have easily become just that considering that Moretti is an Atheist) he is depicted as inhabiting a world that he simply doesn't understand. The Vatican is shown as a world of rules and regulations that are honored and respected instead of a world of murky corridors and smoke-filled rooms used to quell insurrection. When Melville manages to escape his guards and infiltrate the surrounding city in a quest of self-discovery, the Cardinals are trapped. Church laws state that they cannot be released until the end of the election which isn't over until the Pope is formally introduced. So they try to discover ways to entertain themselves, including an impromptu volleyball tournament. But the real story is Melville's as he slowly discovers how sad and sick the world is outside of the walls of the Vatican. He makes a shocking decision at the end of the film which may cause many people to dismiss this film as sacrilegious. But this film is not about Catholicism. Instead it is about the very real, very honest people who populate its upper echelons. Not once are they depicted as corrupt or stereotypical. They are shown to be real people. And the choice that Melville makes in the end is characteristic of just that: it is the decision that a regular person might make under such circumstances. We Have a Pope is a heartbreaking film, both for its sincerity and its tragic conclusion that the Church might not be ready for the responsibilities that are in store for it in the 21st century. Is it an anti-religious film? Of course not. It is simply a devastatingly honest one.

9/10