Doc Corner: Gianfranco Rosi's 'In Viaggio'

By Glenn Dunks

I will be honest with you. I initially had no real desire to watch In Viaggio: The Travels of Pope Francis. I believe my words were “because of the whole pope thing”, which I personally think is entirely fair. Especially after another European filmmaker, Wim Wenders, had his own Pope Francis doc not too long ago. It does, however, prove to be a much more interesting than initial perceptions would have suggested. And, to be honest, director Gainfranco Rosi—a director whose work only seems to be getting better and better (which is saying quite a lot)—deserves better than a ‘thanks, but no thanks.’ After all, I don’t think any other filmmaker can claim both a Golden Bear and a Golden Lion for works of non-fiction.

Rosi’s film is not the immersive experience that recent works like Notturno and Fire at Sea were, but it was probably never going to be. Reset expectations then, and we have In Viaggio, a surprising documentary built almost entirely out of archival footage as Pope Francis jet-sets around the world. Again, it’s better than it sounds.

Look, it’s only natural that one’s perception of the Catholic Church as well as the Pope himself (this one physical man) and the Pope itself (the general absurd concept of an old man in a cape who gets treated like Madonna in Truth or Dare) will color one’s viewing of Rosi’s film. It is inescapable. And I’m not sure Rosi is ever really able to reconcile that friction over the 80 minutes we spend (mostly) in his company.

Yes, Pope Francis does appear to have some refreshingly modern takes on social issues, in particular the global refugee crisis. He is often shown looking contemplative, and he appears to be able to acknowledge his own faults quite readily, as he does for the Church more broadly. Rosi and editor Fabrizio Federico shows a hall of bishops as they gleefully await his sermon only for it to focus on his shame at news of child abuse from priests. We then see not long later, his skepticism in Chile of their own cases of abuse that he seems only too willing to dismiss and later apologises for on the world stage. It shows both sides of the conundrum because, yes, it’s actually quite refreshing to see, and yet he remains the leader of an organization that discriminates and actively punishes individuals, and has been responsible for some of the most reprehensible crimes upon humanity that you can imagine (including aforementioned child abuse and subsequent cover-ups).

Maybe he is more of a human than others, but it’s hard to really get a read on whether Rosi’s use of montage is done to condemn or to rise aloft. There’s no narration here, nor talking heads, which is a plus. It gives the film more of a lasting impact than if it was more black and white. But is Rosi even interested in such lines of thought? I’m not sure.

In Viaggio is at its best when Rosi is buttressing all of this footage (Rosi shot the Canada and Malta portions, but the rest is historic footage) with cutaways that tell a different story. Vistas of slums, cities and populations sliced in two by civil war, catastrophic natural disasters (many of which are man-made), colonization and, most prominently, refugee boats sinking off coasts as its inhabitants seek a better life away from the third world. The latter of which is, if I am not mistaken, taken from his own Oscar-nominated film Fire at Sea. It has the effect of highlighting the church’s hypocrisy while promoting him as a man of superiority. Again, that dichotomy.

There’s more verve in these moments, and others like it that highlight the absurdity of Pope Francis’ position. It's certainly more interesting than the recurring speeches that, after a while, grow a bit tiresome in their droning repetitiveness. Brief moments that recall Air Force One of all things, the photographic inserts of First Nations people from the period of colonization, archival footage of Cuba in its past life… they all seek to add colour. If, like me, you’re still unsure about the moral gymnastics your brain has to twist into to justify a film like this, Rosi does enough here to justify the time spent. Even if by its end, you may have more questions about the man than answers.

Release: Magnolia are releasing this in theatres and VOD on March 31.

Award chances: I would doubt it, even though the Academy have been into Rosi's films as of late (Fire at Sea was a nominee, Notturno made the shortlist).