Der Papst ist kein Jeansboy

The actor, columnist, author, moderator, the failed pastoral assistant, the self-confessed gay sadomasochist, the total work of art Hermes Phettberg, who has always been relentlessly open about his life, his suffering in himself and the world, gives insight into his current existence. Despite his decline, Phettberg has remained a charismatic, unique "pyre" (as he calls himself) who documents his slowly fading life daily on the Internet and in his weekly column in the Viennese city magazine "Falter" and struggles to survive as Austria's best-known welfare recipient. Sobo Swobodnik shows this daily struggle of a one-time star who became a patronized outsider - with three strokes, a heart attack, extreme bladder weakness and an irrepressible will to go on living.

Directed by Sobo Swobodnik, Der Papst ist kein Jeansboy leans on a strong ensemble — Hermes Phettberg, Josef Hader, Kurt Palm — to carry a story that balances spectacle with character.

The film landed with audiences for its craft and performances, and remains one of the most talked-about documentary titles of 2011.