It is 1988, and Melo, a Uruguayan town on the Brazilian border, awaits the visit of Pope John Paul II. Numbers begin circulating: hundreds of people will come; no thousands say the media, where he will address a mass meeting of the faithful.
The well-informed speak of 50,000... The poor townspeople know what this means: 50,000 pilgrims in need of food and drink, paper flags, souvenirs, commemorative medals. Brimming with enthusiasm, the villagers not only hope for divine blessing, but above all for a small share of material happiness.
Petty smuggler Beto is certain that he has found the best business idea of all: “The Pope’s Toilet”, where the thousands of pilgrims can find relief ... Let others make mountains of chorizo sausages and bake towers of cakes - he will strike it rich with human waste! But before he can build the WC, Beto rushes headlong into trouble. He sorely tries the patience of his stoical but optimistic wife Carmen and disappoints his adolescent daughter Silvia, who dreams of a career in the media. He has to increase his risky and arduous journeys across the border, and he has to bury his long-cherished dream of buying a moped. He even loses his most precious possession - his bicycle - just as he secures the keystone for his temple to waste and wealth: the toilet bowl. However, he is determined to make it back in time for the divine event.
San Sebastian International Film Festival, 2007 Horizons Award
San Paolo International Film Festival, 2007 - International Jury Award
Dir. Cesar Charlone/Enrique Fernandez - 2007 - Uraguay/Brazil/France - 94 mins - Cert 15 - Soda Pictures
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