We’re gonna have a conclave! But first, everyone needs to stop making memes about it and watch The Two Popes.
In the wake of Pope Francis’ death, people have been on the hunt for some good old Pope-related content. At first, the internet found its fix with Conclave, the 2024 drama about the gathering of the Cardinals for the election of a new pope.
Without a doubt, Conclave is a great film. (Think Mean Girls, but make it Pope, and you’ve got the vibe.) However, unbeknownst to some, there was another equally excellent but much more undersung Pope film to watch. And unlike Conclave, it’s actually about the late supreme pontiff himself.
Titled The Two Popes, the 2019 film depicts the complicated relationship between the conservative Pope Benedict XVI (Anthony Hopkins) and his much more liberal successor, Pope Francis (Jonathan Pryce).
After the film premiered, it received glowing reviews from critics and fans. A reviewer from the New York Times described is as a thrilling “two-man study of friendship, rivalry and major British acting.” Meanwhile, Variety declared The Two Popes to be a “brilliant two-hander,” finding the film to be “surprisingly emotional and even more surprisingly comedic.”
The Two Popes is currently available to watch on Netflix. And if the streamer’s most recent viewing numbers are any indication, it looks like people are finally waking up to the hidden Pope-related gem that is this movie.
Over the past week, The Two Popes soared to Netflix’s top 10 in over 27 countries, raking in a grand total of over 3.2 million global views—a huge number for a movie that came out almost 6 years ago.
Now that there is renewed attention around the film, longtime fans are flocking to social media to brag about why they think The Two Popes trumps Conclave any day of the week.
For those who haven’t seen either films, may we suggest a double feature?
