Potty for a pope
(Canscene) — The excitement of John Paul II’s 1988 visit to a small Uruguyan village has the inhabitants agog with schemes to capitalize on what they believe will be an opportunity to provide for the thousands of visitors who are sure to come to see the pontiff.
In The Pope’s Toilet, petty smuggler Beto (Cesare Troncoso) thnks he’s found the ideal moneymaker: a pay toilet. The film centers on his efforts to get the structure completed in time for the visit: but there are complications.
One remembers the French Clochemerle, that classic and hilariously satirical public toilet story which was filmed in the 50s, but The Pope’s Toilet shuns broad humour for a frequently touching story of a community’s efforts to find a place in the sun.
Brazilian director Enrique Fernandez has assembled a cast of only five actors with the remainder being non-professonals. He has given us a production that in spite of the implications of its subject remains warm and tenderly human .
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