Conclave

by Mike McGranaghan

You certainly don’t have to be Catholic to enjoy Conclave, but if you are (or ever were), you’re bound to appreciate the meticulous depiction of the process through which a new Pope is chosen. Adapting Robert Harris’s novel, director Edward Berger (All Quiet on the Western Front) takes great pains to put viewers inside the room where it happens. This attention to detail adds immeasurably to the film’s impact. This is an outstanding adult drama, the kind we don’t see enough of in theaters these days.

The Pope is dead. Cardinal Lawrence (Ralph Fiennes) is in charge of leading the highly secretive ceremony to select a replacement. His task is complicated by several factors. First, there’s a battle for control between two opposing theologies. Cardinal Tedesco (Sergio Castellitto) is an arch conservative who wants to take the church as far back to the past as possible, while Cardinal Bellini (Stanley Tucci) advocates for a liberal position that’s more favorable to women and gay people. Then there’s Cardinal Tremblay (John Lithgow), a top contender who may or may not have a scandal in his past that led the late Pope to request his resignation.

When the first vote doesn’t produce a clear winner, all kinds of behind-the-scenes machinations begin. Fiennes makes a brilliant choice in playing Lawrence as a man whose low-key exterior masks an inner intensity. At every step, you can feel his character weighing the potential impact of political maneuvering and brewing scandals. Despite acknowledging his own current crisis of faith, he dutifully strives to carry out the task before him with the church’s best interests in mind. Tucci is equally good, turning Bellini into a pragmatist whose primary concern is seating a Pope who won’t go backward.

Part of what fuels the drama is the ideological debate at Conclave’s center. The Catholic church has long struggled with accusations of being outdated in its views. The movie asks if the time has come for it to embrace a forward-looking perspective. Thematically, our current political climate is mirrored, with half the country believing we need to return to the ideals of the 1950s and others preferring progressive values. Because we can all relate to that idea, the story has strong resonance, despite its very specific milieu.

Conclave has the same sort of suspense that Spotlight and All the President’s Men did. A conspiracy exists, and we watch with anticipation as Lawrence slowly, exactingly puts the pieces together. Berger allows the film to breathe, never rushing its developments or manufacturing artificial tension. Supporting characters, like the feisty Sister Agnes (Isabella Rossellini) and semi-mysterious newcomer Cardinal Benitez (Carlos Diehz), integrate naturally into the plot, adding their own specific layers. Everything culminates in a totally unpredictable finale that leaves you with a provocative idea to ponder afterward.

Exceptional performances and an approach that immerses you in the papal selection ritual make Conclave first-rate entertainment. Those elements are complemented by award-worthy production design that leaves you feeling as though you’ve dwelled inside the Sistine Chapel with Cardinal Lawrence. Intelligent and stimulating, this is one of 2024’s most gripping motion pictures.

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