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Pope Francis travels the world speaking to those in need and delivering a message of hope.
Pope Francis, born in Argentina, is a man marked by many firsts, in the history of 266 popes. First Jesuit pope. First pope from outside of Europe since Syrian Gregory III, of the 8th century. Which makes him the first pope from the Southern Hemisphere as well as the Americas. Named by his mother as Jorge Mario Bergoglio, he is also the first pope to take the name of Francis, after St. Francis of Assisi. Three-time nominee for Academy Awards for Best Documentary, Wim Wenders, presents this film as a documentary meant to portray the unique rebellion of riches and advocacy for change as is in Pope Francis.
As a documentary, the film is fairly standard. 96 minutes in length is long enough to be informative and just short enough to maintain the loyalty of an audience even after the curiosity has waned. The narrative, the videography, the principled purpose – the usual elements are not particularly notable in any specific way. However, a documentarian might argue that the message is far more important than the presentation, which might be why the storytelling method of a documentary rarely varies so as not to supersede the message. And I do believe there is a very big message tucked into this film about a man who seeks to be God’s love for all people and all nations.
In this film, Pope Francis talks about his deep concern for the impoverished, so much so that he chooses to live with less in order to try and share the wealth. He does not live in the traditional Apostolic Palace, nor does he ride in a big limousine. He even willfully dresses with less, opting for a silver papal ring instead of gold, and keeping his clothing plainer. Some might say, sure, but still, he lives quite well. But the point that the Pope is trying to make is not only to live in solidarity with those who have less but to be an example to every person in that we all share in the wellbeing of our fellow humans. If we are all willing to share a little of what we have, to make ourselves a little poorer for someone else’s benefit, the whole world would be better for it.
The documentary touches on some general hot-button issues regarding Pope Francis’ reign, such as welcoming God-seeking homosexuals or addressing the church’s need to openly confront crimes of pedophilia. But really, I think these are just the warm-up points for the much bigger reason that there is to be a theater-released documentary on the Pope. The real reason why I think Wim Wenders and Pope Francis agreed to collaborate in the making of this storytelling journey is to amplify the significance of his voice for climate change. Pope Francis has been a strong advocate for caring for our world and also for agreeing with science about the disturbing issues regarding climate change. In 2015, just before the talks in Paris, St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican was lit up for the first time with images displaying both the wonder and the devastation of our planet. (Interestingly, many of the images were the work of Brazilian photographer, Sebastiao Salgado, who also happens to be the subject matter of another documentary done by Wenders.)
The significance of Pope Francis publicly encouraging the masses to take climate change seriously cannot be missed. As a deeply traditional and sacred figure, he is the human embodiment of religion pulling up a chair to the table. Since religion has often been the major opposer when it comes to scientific debate, the very fact that he is using his power and his voice to speak out about climate change will undoubtedly cause many to listen who would not have otherwise.
The comprehension of truth is always limited by each person’s perspective and experiences. For this reason, a film can be very effective in expanding our perspective on an issue such as climate change or poverty, even if we never experience the wreckage of a typhoon or the tragedy of starvation and disease. I wouldn’t go so far as to say that the film in and of itself will be successful at the box office or at an award ceremony. However, I suspect that the intent behind the film being created, marketed, even brought to the theater, is all just to pack more punch for the real purpose: to introduce a heavyweight in the fight against climate change as we seek to protect our planet along with the many, diverse, wonderful species who live here. In one more powerful way, Pope Francis is willingly stepping forward as a first: to use his leadership to call for collaboration and even his sacred faith to call for scientific reason.
In theaters Friday, May 18th
