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.


But the burden of Habemus Papam really rests on the veteran actor Micel Piccoli. Unfortunately, his performance is largely limited to moments of contemplation, panic attacks or shell-shocked expressions. Despite the screen time, his character continues to remain a mystery and Moretti fails to provide a insightful first person perspective into the insecurities, anxieties or the aspirations of the newly-elected Pope. At the end though, despite the bold and somewhat shocking finale, this is really a charming and harmless comedy that dares to portray the Pope as a vulnerable human being. Habemus Papam treads a little too cautiously so as not to offend, or infringe on the sanctity of the Catholic church and the Pope, making it fall desperately short of being truly acknowledged as a path-breaking film.