Conclave (2024) Focus/Drama-Thriller RT: 120 minutes Rated PG (thematic material) Director: Edward Berger Screenplay: Peter Straughan Music: Volker Bertelmann Cinematography: Stephane Fontaine Release date: October 25, 2024 (US) Cast: Ralph Fiennes, Stanley Tucci, John Lithgow, Sergio Castellitto, Isabella Rossellini, Lucian Msamati, Carlo Diehz, Brian F. O’Byrne, Merab Ninidze, Thomas Loibl, Jacek Koman.
Rating: ***
The true power of cinema lies in its ability to transport the viewer to places they’ve never been. It can also allow the viewer access to situations they’re not privy to like the process for selecting a new Pope. It’s called a papal conclave. The eligible members of the Sacred College of Cardinals gather in Vatican City and sequester themselves until they reach a two-thirds majority on who will be the next leader of the Catholic Church. The process is shown in complete detail in Conclave, a slow but compelling drama based on the novel by Robert Harris.
The pope is dead. He had a fatal heart attack. The first thing to do is remove his Holiness’ sacred ring (known as the “Fisherman’s Ring”) and destroy the seal. It’s a bit of a struggle to remove it from his finger meaning we can expect the transition to not be easy. And it’s not.
Cardinal Lawrence (Fiennes, The Menu), the Dean of the College, is to lead the conclave. He’s to preside over the election. There are four frontrunners, five if you include Lawrence who doesn’t actually want to be Pope. They are Cardinal Bellini (Tucci, The Devil Wears Prada), a liberal with views that concern more conservative Catholics; Cardinal Tedesco (Castellitto, Romeo Is Juliet), an extreme traditionalist who wants the Church to return to its old ways; Cardinal Tremblay (Lithgow, Killers of the Flower Moon), a man with questionable ethics and Cardinal Adeyemi (Msamati, Gangs of London), a conservative from Nigeria who could change the face of the Church if elected.
Naturally, there are a few surprises awaiting Lawrence as he makes every effort to ensure the conclave goes off without a single hitch. A few secrets involving certain candidates come to light. Also, an unexpected guest arrives in the form of Archbishop Benitez (Diehz) from Kabul. Nobody but the late Pope even knew of his existence. He’s what you would call the dark horse candidate.
I’m not Catholic so much of Conclave is new to me. Any questions I might have had about how a new Pope is chosen have been answered. That’s the most interesting facet of the film, the politics within the Catholic Church. Papal elections can be as intense as Presidential ones with all the scandals, pettiness, mud-slinging and dirty tricks. Director Edward Berger (All Quiet on the Western Front) takes through the whole process which entails filling out paper ballots that are counted by hand before being burned. There’s no communication with the outside world so as not to influence the voting body. The people anxiously awaiting the results are kept informed by smoke signals, gray if the vote doesn’t result in a winner and white for when it does. It’s really quite interesting speaking as an outsider.
The acting in Conclave is top-notch. Berger, working from a screenplay by Peter Straughan (The Men Who Stare at Goats), is blessed with some top-tier talent starting with Fiennes as a church official undergoing a crisis of faith. We learn early on that he planned to step down from his position. The Pope’s death changed that. Now he finds himself in a position where he could conceivably be selected be the top guy in the Catholic Chruch. Tucci is great as the liberal church official who points out that those who want to be Pope are the most dangerous. He might as well be talking about Lithgow’s character. His Cardinal Tremblay is a true antagonist. Castellitto is scary as the candidate who wants to take the Church back to the days of speaking Latin and expelling those deemed unsuitable. He’s definitely against keeping the peace with other religious groups, especially Muslims. Isabella Rossellini (Blue Velvet) is terrific as Sister Agnes, the caretaker who defies convention when she speaks out against the traditional role of women in the Church. It’s a brief but memorable moment.
My only gripe with Conclave is that it moves slowly. It drags at times, but it’s never actually boring. Like I said, it’s interesting to see something that I wouldn’t get to see in real life. The look of the movie is stunning thanks to the striking visuals by cinematographer Stephane Fontaine. The rows of cardinals in their crimson robes, the halls and corridors of the Sistine Chapel, a shot of the cardinals making their way across the rainy courtyard holding white umbrellas- all of it is more impressive than any given scene in a Marvel movie and it doesn’t require a single bit of CGI.
I have a feeling that an 11th hour plot twist will be the thing most discussed about Conclave. I won’t tell you what it is, but I’m sure it will be hotly debated for weeks and months to come. I’m talking something along the lines of The Crying Game. People couldn’t stop talking about that one. Therefore, I would suggest if you want to see Conclave, do it ASAP. Do it before somebody ruins the surprise and believe me, that’s exactly what it is. I didn’t see it coming. For that alone, I give Conclave a strong-ish recommendation.
