HBO's 'The Young Pope'
NOTE from Sister Helena – HEAR YE! HEAR YE! CAVEAT! CAVEAT! For whatever effusive praise you may hear from me below about HBO's series "The Young Pope," be it known that it is FILLED with nudity and sex scenes in almost every episode. I have watched the entire first season. Genitals are never shown; but lots of female breasts, male and female posteriors, and nude or semi-nude sex scenes. I believe that probably 75 percent of the excessive nudity/sex was unnecessary. Nudity and sex scenes will still have their effects on the human body, psyche, imagination and memory of viewers. So, sadly – very sadly, in my estimation – YP is not for teens – or for adults struggling with porn issues. The “look-away method” must be employed for those who choose to watch. I kept asking myself, "Does the good outweigh the bad (nudity/sex scenes) of YP?" My conclusion – at least in my own case – was a resounding YES. If it didn't, I wouldn't be doing a review.
Incredibly misleading promotion
In case you already watched the trailer for "The Young Pope," some YouTube clips or even the first one or two episodes and wrote it off – as I did – as an easy, sleazy and perhaps bizarre pot-shot at the Catholic Church, you may wish to give it a second chance. We were all misled. It's too bad that the first episode is not indicative of the series. Those who wanted to see pot shots? They're gonna be disappointed. Those who got offended (YP's real audience, I think)? You already lost 'em.
But this is not-at-all what "The Young Pope" is about. To the contrary, the young pope (a 50-year-old American played with aplomb by a New-York-accented Shakespearean Jude Law) is actually a traditionalist. He is Pope Pius XIII in the film, and we learn that his real name is Lenny. A big chunk of the first episode was actually the young pope's nightmare. The young pope is disciplined, somewhat harsh, orthodox, somewhat arrogant, wet behind the ears, passionate, authoritative, reckless, faithful, prayerful, macho, flawed but with penetrating insight into humanity, unexpected and unpredictable, media savvy – a walking contradiction (as is the series itself). YP is deep, not cheap. It is not mean-spirited.
God
You see, YP is all about God. Not those who follow Him or speak for Him. God is not just a breathing (though unseen) character in the series (a challenging film feat), He is the other half of Lenny's tightest relationship. And we feel Him and we experience Him with Lenny (a near impossible film feat). When Lenny (the young pope) prays, we are witness to one of the most beautiful sights on earth: a man who loves God who humbles himself and experiences a greater strength than he could ever have on his own. It reminded me of King David.
The convoluted abortion dialogue
Toward the end of the series, Lenny and his mentor, Cardinal Spencer (James Cromwell) conduct a convoluted conversation about abortion. This super-silly exchange never once mentions that – or even questions whether – abortion is the taking of a human life. Only that it's breaking some kind of arcane Church rules and arcane Scripture passages. The writer-director even has the intellectual dishonesty and gall to quote Aquinas (whose 13th century, pre-scientific era teachings on biology, especially with regard to when and how life begins, were notoriously way off the mark).
Upping the ante
"The Young Pope" is a tour de force. It's a fine display of Catholic imagination at its best. YP deals with a pedophile bishop in New York City. A kangaroo who is the pope's alter ego. Vatican intrigue gone haywire at the conclave that elected him – due to the interference of the Holy Spirit. A weasel-y politico Italian Cardinal for whom Pius XIII is his worst nightmare – but who also lovingly cares for a severely disabled, nonverbal young man who serves as his confidante.
At any rate, YP has upped the ante for religious "films." (It's shot like a film and plays out like a film, and Sorrentino says he enjoys blurring the lines between cinema and TV.) All my favorite religious films are quickly paling in comparison – because of God. What if we actually took God seriously like the young pope? Sought God earnestly and with all our heart like the young pope?
