''The Pope's Toilet'' ( es, El Baño del Papa) is a 2007 Uruguayan film directed by
César Charlone and
Enrique Fernandez, starring
César Troncoso, Virginia Méndez, and Mario Silva.
Plot
It is 1988, and
Melo, a
Uruguay
Uruguay (; ), officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay ( es, República Oriental del Uruguay), is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast; while bordering ...
an town on the Brazilian border, awaits the visit of Pope
John Paul II
Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...
. Numbers begin circulating: hundreds of people will come, thousands say the media. To the poor citizens of Melo this means pilgrims in need of food and drink, paper flags, souvenirs, and commemorative medals. Brimming with enthusiasm, the locals hope not only for divine blessing but also a small share of material happiness. Petty smuggler Beto is certain that he's found the best business idea of all: "The Pope’s Toilet", where the thousands of visiting pilgrims can find relief.
Beto is thwarted by lack of funds and the local mobile customs enforcement officer. Ultimately the promised "60,000 to 200,000" Brazilians do not materialise. Apparently (in the film's postscript) only 400 Brazilians came, disproportionately served by 387 stalls for food and trinkets. The film makes it clear that the visit was a financial disaster to the town rather than bringing any wealth as promised. Beto has spent his daughter's college fund to no avail, but she forgives him, and at least he has a nice toilet.
Regardless of the claims made in the film's postscript committed to uphold a good sense of humor at all costs, international media reported the Pope's open-air mass in the town of Melo with 39,000 inhabitants was attended by a crowd of about 50,000 people.
Cast
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César Troncoso as Beto
*Virginia Méndez as Carmen
*Virginia Ruiz as Silvia
*Mario Silva as Valvulina
*Henry de Leon as Nacente
*Jose Arce as Tica
*Nelson Lence as Meleyo
*Rosário dos Santos as Tereza
*
Hugo Blandamuro as Tartamudo
Release
The film was Uruguay's submission to the
80th Academy Awards
The 80th Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), honored the best films of 2007. The award ceremony took place on February 24, 2008, at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles. During t ...
for the
Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film
The Academy Award for Best International Feature Film (known as Best Foreign Language Film prior to 2020) is one of the Academy Awards handed out annually by the U.S.-based Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It is given to a ...
, but was not accepted as a nominee.
It is available in the United States from
filmmovement.com
Film Movement is a North American distributor of independent film, independent and foreign films, which is based in New York City, founded in 2003.
History
Film Movement was founded in 2003, and has released more than 250 feature films and short ...
.
BBC Four premiered the film on British television on 1 August 2010.
See also
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Cinema of Uruguay
The cinema of Uruguay has a role in the culture of Uruguay and is a part of Latin American cinema. Since the late 1990s, Uruguayan cinema has undergone a process of evolution, during which its films have received positive reviews and been inte ...
*
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Popes Toilet, The
2007 films
2007 drama films
Uruguayan drama films
2000s Spanish-language films
Films about Pope John Paul II
Cerro Largo Department
Melo, Uruguay
Films set in Uruguay
Films shot in Uruguay