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Ten 2020 Movies With Spiritual (But Not Always Christian) Angles Guaranteed to Spark Conversations

Francesco

The Oscar-nominated director Evgeny Afineevsky took an in-depth look at Francis’ pontificate in “Francesco,” a documentary addressing the pope’s foreign trips, his reform of the Vatican and his commitment to immigrants and the environment.

The film, which premiered in 2020 but was distributed nationwide on March 26, offers a flattering introduction to the globetrotting pontiff while only briefly addressing the Vatican scandals and intrigue. Francis’ star power is evident in the documentary, gathering crowds of faithful thanks to his humble and laid-back persona.

But the impact of the film reached beyond the screen and into the debates shaking the Catholic Church today. When its trailer was first released in October 2020, Pope Francis’ remarks in it about same-sex couples appealing for their “right to a family” and proposing civil unions for gay couples sparked a global debate around the Catholic Church’s contested position on LGBTQ rights. The debate continued until March of this year, when the Vatican’s department tasked with determining doctrine shut down the possibility of blessing same-sex couples.

The documentary “Francesco” emerges as a polaroid of a developing Catholicism under Francis — at times triumphant and at others defeated — that will likely serve as a useful tool in exploring the legacy of this pontificate in the future. ( Claire Giangravè)