Habemus Papam, the Latest Nanni Moretti's Film
These are the days where depression can hit anyone. Why can't the Pope be depressed too? The latest Nanni Moretti's movie Habemus Papam (We Have A Pope), that opened just before Easter in Italy, tell us this story. "I wanted to tell the story about this fragile character who feels unsuited to the role, but in the form of a comedy," Moretti told reporters.
A movie about a Pope
To tell the truth, speaking about the Pope isn't easy in Italy, you can read here how the Vatican City influences Italian public opinion. Maybe this could be the reason Moretti uses the form of a comedy to approach this topic. But Moretti, who has won the Palme D'or at Cannes for La Stanza Del Figlio (The Son's Room), uses the character of the Pope to highlight the distance between the Church and the people. Indeed, the Pope, played by a great Michel Piccoli, first seeks psychoanalytic help, then walks alone at Rome, looking for something.
Catholic Reviews
From the Washington Post piece titled: “Italian movie on depressed pope gets mixed reviews from the Catholic church”. In the article, the Washington Post explains that Avvenire, the influential newspaper of the Italian Catholic bishops' conference, printed a letter by a Vatican expert last week calling for a boycott of the movie, saying "hands off the pope" and asking readers "Why should we finance those who offend our religion?" But no such call has come from Vatican officials. And Avvenire itself said in its own review that the film is well-made and clever, though it faults Moretti for representing "the death of an old and confused church" and missing the crucial point of the church's faith and communion with Christ. Some Catholic commentators praised Moretti for offering a humane portrayal of a troubled pope, played by the 85-year-old French actor Michel Piccoli. "There's no sarcasm, no caricature," wrote Vatican Radio.
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