Language - Italian
Genre - Drama, Comedy
**ing - Michel Piccoli, Jerzy Stuhr and Renato Scarpa
Release - 2010
Habemus Papam (We have a Pope) was one of the most talked about movies at the 2011 Cannes Film festival. Critics called it bold, controversial, challenging, incendiary and also smart, among other things. There's no doubt about the efficacy of such publictiy in evoking public's interest in a motion picture. But as I sat through this delightfully comical film with a touch of satire, from one of the most respected names in Italian Cinema Nanni Moretti, I was left perplexed if I was watching the same film. Or maybe it's because I don't adequately comprehend the religious sensibilities of the general public as envisioned by these popular and esteemed critics.
After all, is it really controversial to show a pope getting stage-fright after getting elected or seeing the ageing bishops and cardinals, who are members of the conclave, indulging in normal human activities such as playing a game of volleyball or having the inquisiteness of knowing what their respective odds were of being elected, as published by the bookmakers in England before the election. Michel Piccoli stars as cardinal Melville, the pope-elect (much to his surprise), and starts having performance anxeity moments before stepping out on the balcony to address a huge gathering of faithfuls. But the Vatican needs him to overcome his apprehensions and announce his appointment as the most powerful religious figure in the world, to the public at large. 
Realizing that the problems is more of the mind than anything physical, the vatican decides to invite a leading psycho-analyst (played by Nanni Moretti) for examining the pope. But he's rather helpless as the Pope cannot divulge details of his dreams, childhood issues or his sexual fantasies. Nanni Moretti seems natural as a professional who also happens to be a non-believer and hence doesn't seem to share the overwhelming reverence that the faithfuls have for the great cardinals and Bishops, and the Pope himself. In many ways, Nanni Moretti wants to have the public share the same outlook about the sacred Vatican traditions and it's revered members, as his psychoanalyst character has (and probably his own 'real' self). 
