A newly elected Pope struggles to come to terms with his new role. As he finds himself overwhelmed by the job’s pressures, his quiet demeanor gives way to hysteria. A psychoanalyst is hired to help—but with sexual desire and unfulfilled fantasies strictly off-limits, there is only so much he can do.

Can Palme d’Or-winner Nanni Moretti see the future? As if predicting Pope Benedict XVI’s surprise resignation, with customary wit and warmth the Italian auteur directed this droll, sensitive comedy about an individual (the legendary actor Michel Piccoli) and an institution thrown into confusion.