Francis: Pray for Me

{{Infobox film

| name = Francis: Pray for me

| native_name = Francisco – El Padre Jorge

| image = Francisco Movie poster.jpg

| caption = Argentine theatrical release poster

| director = Beda Docampo Feijóo

| producer = Agustin Bossie
Pablo Bossi

| screenplay = César Gomez Copello
Beda Docampo Feijóo

| based_on = {{based_on|Pope Francis: Life and Revolution|Elisabetta Piqué}}

| starring = Darío Grandinetti

| music = Frederico Jusid

| cinematography = Kiko de la Rica

| writer =

| editing = Mapa Pastor

| studio =

| distributor = Disney Media Distribution (Argentina)
Wanda Visión S.A. (Spain)
Pioneer Films (Philippines)

| released = {{Film date|2015|09|10|Argentina}}

| runtime = 104 minutes

| country = Argentina

| language = Spanish

| budget =

| gross =

}}

Francis: Pray for me ({{Langx|es|Francisco – El Padre Jorge|lit=Francis – Father Jorge}}) is a 2015 Argentine film, starring Darío Grandinetti as Pope Francis. The film is based on the 2013 book, Pope Francis: Life and Revolution, which was written by Francis' close friend Elisabetta Piqué who is also a correspondent for the Argentine newspaper, La Nación in Italy and the Vatican since 1999.{{cite news|title=Watch: Pope Francis' life story in 'Papa Francisco: The Pope Francis Story'|url=http://www.philstar.com/movies/2015/09/05/1496281/watch-pope-francis-life-story-papa-francisco-pope-francis-story|access-date=18 September 2015|work=philstar Movies|publisher=The Philippine Star|date=5 September 2015}} The film was released as Papa Francisco: The Pope Francis Story in the Philippines.

Plot

The story narrates the life of Jorge Mario Bergoglio (Darío Grandinetti), the man who would later become Pope Francis in the perspective of a Spanish journalist named Ana (Silvia Abascal), who first met the future pope at the 2005 Papal conclave, until the naming of Bergoglio as pope at the 2013 Papal conclave.

Cast

Darío Grandinetti as Jorge Bergoglio
Silvia Abascal as Ana
Leticia Brédice as Cecilia
Laura Novoa as Regina Bergoglio
Leonor Manso as Rosa Margherita Vasallo Bergoglio
Jorge Marrale as José Bergoglio
Gabriel Gallichio as Jorge Bergoglio (young)
Alejandro Awada as Luis
Carola Reyna as Agustina
Marta Beláustegui as Carmen

Production

The script is based on the 2013 book Pope Francis: Life and Revolution, written by journalist Elisabetta Piqué. Productor Pablo Bossi met Piqué in November 2013, and announced his intention to shoot the film. She met the script writer Beda Docampo Feijóo in January 2014, and he soon wrote the first script for the film. The actor Darío Grandinetti visited the Vatican and had a brief interview with Francis, studying him to make an accurate play.{{cite web |url= http://personajes.lanacion.com.ar/1826414-una-pelicula-para-entender-al-papa|title= Francisco: el padre Jorge, una película para entender al Papa|trans-title=Francisco, el padre Jorge, a film to understand Pope Francis|language= es|author= Elisabetta Piqué|date= September 9, 2015|work=La Nación|access-date=September 18, 2015}} Shooting for the film began in January 2015 in Buenos Aires, Argentina.{{cite news|last1=Hastings|first1=Deborah|title=Movie in the works about life of Pope Francis|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/movie-works-pope-francis-article-1.2036094|access-date=18 September 2015|work=New York Daily News|date=6 December 2014}}

Release

The film was first released in Argentina on 10 September 2015 and was later released in Spain on 18 September 2015. In the Philippines, the film was released on theaters nationwide under the title Papa Francisco: The Pope Francis Story on 30 September 2015 with Pioneer Films as distributor.{{cite news|title=Pope Francis' life story hits the big screen|url=http://www.philstar.com/cebu-entertainment/2015/09/15/1499998/pope-francis-life-story-hits-big-screen|access-date=18 September 2015|publisher=The Freeman|date=15 September 2015}}

Reception

Horacio Bilbao, from the Clarín newspaper considered it a below-average film. The biography of Francis is treated like a hagiography, and the controversial aspects of his life are treated in a simplistic way. For instance, it is unclear if the character played by Alejandro Awada is supposed to be based on Horacio Verbitsky, who would be the woman asking him to ignore the political corruption scandals, and the truthfulness in the depiction of the meeting of Bergoglio and Massera.{{cite web |url= http://www.clarin.com/extrashow/cine/francisco-padre-jorge-critica_de_cine_0_1427857662.html|title= "Francisco, el padre Jorge": Con pocos aportes nuevos|trans-title="Francisco, el padre Jorge": with few innovations|language= es|author= Horacio Bilbao|date= September 9, 2015|work=Clarín|access-date=18 September 2015}}