Pope Francis: A Man of His Word is a documentary directed by Wim Wenders (Perfect Days) that follows the titular figure during various moments of his papacy, which began in 2013. It explores the significance of his chosen name (in honor of Saint Francis of Assisi) and the historic fact that he was both the first Jesuit pope and the first from the Southern Hemisphere. Although the tone is at times overly reverent, the documentary helps to understand Pope Francis as a person, the image he projected to the world, and his vision for the Holy See.
Directed by Brazilian filmmaker Fernando Meirelles (City of God) and based on a play by Anthony McCarten, The Two Popes dramatizes the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI (played by Anthony Hopkins) and his eventual succession by Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio (Jonathan Pryce), who would become Pope Francis. While it takes creative liberties, the drama allows viewers to explore the differing views of two leaders within the same church—and their search for common ground toward the future of Catholicism.
One of the most popular recent films on this topic is this production directed by Edward Berger (All Quiet on the Western Front), noted for its dramatic intensity in portraying a papal conclave. Though fictional and filled with creative liberties in the name of suspense, the film draws many parallels to the real transition between Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Francis, and serves as a compelling introduction to how a new pope is elected and how apostolic succession functions.
The Fisherman's Shoes, based on the eponymous novel by Morris West, is another film that brings us closer to the papal conclave process, although in a very different context. The story follows a Soviet archbishop (Anthony Quinn) who, after being unexpectedly released from a forced labor camp at the height of the Cold War, is sent to Rome to become a cardinal, but circumstances lead him to become the Pope. Although it seems implausible by today’s standards, this film illustrates the enormous role the Catholic Church plays in global politics and provides another approach to the process of papal succession.
And here we have a comedic take on the same theme, courtesy of Italian filmmaker Nanni Moretti (A Brighter Tomorrow). Habemus Papa follows a cardinal who, against his will, is elected the new Pope at a conclave. When he cracks under pressure on the very day he is announced to the world, the cardinals allow him to undergo psychoanalysis therapy in order to perform the most important role in God’s kingdom on Earth. Though it’s more for fun and not to be taken too seriously, Moretti pokes fun at the Church’s practices and helps put into perspective that, in the end, the Pope is also a human being.