"WE HAVE A POPE" THINKS THE UNTHINKABLE

"WE HAVE A POPE" THINKS THE UNTHINKABLE

Remember when they used to say "What if they gave a war and nobody came?"Well, Italian filmmaker Nanni Moretti imagines what if they elected a Pope and he turned it down."We Have A Pope," now playing at the Loft Cinema, 3233 E. Speedway Blvd., is Moretti's philosophical fantasy that is mostly a subtle Catholic comedy that portrays -- in a respectful way -- how the Pope could be riding the subway and then sitting in a deli, learning first-hand what it feels like to be treated as an ordinary person getting buffeted around daily by rudeness and ignorance,At the same time, this subtle film makes us realize just how great the distance is between the hierarchy of the Catholic Church and the millions of Catholics who look to this hierarchy for guidance.Adding emphasis, Moretti introduces himself to play the non-believing psychoanalyst who is invited to the Vatican as a last ditch effort to help the Pope through his panic so he can accept the fact that God wants this man to be his official representative on Earth.The psychoanalyst is a man of science, not a man of God, and he's only being allowed within the walls of the Vatican by receiving a significant dispensation.

It is also brought to our attention just how much theatricality and ceremony it takes for the Church to sustain the power of its position with the loyal masses who throng to St. Peter's daily to express their faith.

The story begins with the passing of the last Pope, followed by the pageantry of 108 brightly robed cardinal electors gathering at the Vatican from all parts of the world to select the next Pope.

As one failed vote follows another, the three favored cardinals keep locking up all the votes so there is no majority vote possible. In a sudden shift toward a compromise, everyone suddenly changes their vote to Cardinal Melville (Michel Piccoli).

Melville is stunned that he should be elected to bear the weight of the world's Catholics. The other cardinals are equally stunned that Melville resists God's own choice.

While this elite body of men of the cloth frets over the procedure details of maintaining ceremony, Melville in a panic manages to escape from the Vatican. Out on the sidewalk, he calms down a bit and with an air of true innocence gets a taste of daily life.

This is the fun part, although watching the cardinals fuss about seemingly unimportant issues of tradition is also pretty funny.

"We Have A Pope" then becomes a story of parallel events inside the papal walls and outside in the neighborhoods around St. Peter's.

Moretti's resolution is not the one you would expect. Yet, it is the one a good Catholic would want to believe in should such a fantastical scenario ever occur.