

From Nazi-occupied Poland to the Vatican throne — with zero chill for church politics.
The eventful life of a humble Polish priest who once decried the pomp of the Catholic Church "a circus" and labeled the Pope a "prisoner of the Vatican" before ascending to the papal throne to usher Catholicism into the 21st century. Born in Poland and forced to carry on following the untimely death of his family, Karol Wojtyla endured both personal hardships and the rape of his homeland by the Third Reich to spread the word of God through the Catholic Church. Later, as Pope John Paul II, Wojtyla was beloved by millions of Catholics worldwide. From the sexual-abuse scandal that shook the American Catholic Church in the later-20th century to the murder of Salvadoran Archbishop Oscar Romero and the near-fatal assassination attempt made on his own life, Pope John Paul II endured to bridge the gap between various faiths until his death resulting from Parkinson's disease in April of 2005.
Acting
Thomas Kretschmann's committed transformation; Bruno Ganz steals every scene.
Production
Surprisingly decent period recreation on clearly limited budget.

Director
Jeff Bleckner
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Thomas Kretschmann is German playing Polish; the real John Paul II was the first non-Italian Pope in 455 years, making this casting oddly symbolic of broader European shifts.
Released just one year after his actual death, this rushed production exemplifies the immediate canonization culture around John Paul II — he was beatified in 2011 and canonized 2014, one of the fastest tracks in modern history.
No ratings yet
Sign in to join the discussion — comments are spoiler-gated to your watch progress.
Discussion starters