Conclave (2024)

Dir: Edward Berger

Cast: Ralph Fiennes, Stanley Tucci, John Lithgow, Sergio Castellitto, Lucian Msamati, Carlos Diehz, Isabella Rossellini

Edward Berger’s gripping Vatican-based thriller is both dramatically and philosophically satisfying in its depiction of the political inner workings of the Catholic church

In a modern election year, one would have thought that the prematurely maligned Donald Trump biographical drama “The Apprentice” would be the talk of the town with its surprisingly restrained depiction of the controversial President elect. However, it has become evident that Edward Berger‘s Vatican-based thriller “Conclave” has resonated more with both critics and audiences, with its politically relevant insight into the the most powerful organisation on the planet – the Catholic Church.

The German-born Berger has risen to prominence in recent years following the release of his critically acclaimed native-language adaptation of the influential anti-war novel “All Quiet on the Western Front”. The award-winning filmmaker has followed on from his harrowing Oscar-winning war epic with this adaptation of the Robert Harris novel of the same name. The successful British novelist, primarily known for his works “Fatherland” and “Enigma”, started off his career as a political journalist, which would explain the often relevant political themes present throughout his works in historical fiction – “Conclave” being no different. Published in 2016, the religious thriller is set in the context of the death of a fictitious Pope, depicting the secretive inner workings of the Catholic Church and the papal conclave responsible for electing a successor.

Following its premiere at telluride in September, “Conclave” has gone onto receive universal acclaim from critics, and (as of writing) is one of the favourites for the upcoming Academy Awards in March, having received six nominations at the 82nd Golden Globes, as well as a pack-leading eleven nominations at the 30th Critics’ Choice Awards. This strong word of mouth, plus the talent involved both in front and behind the camera, quickly saw “Conclave” become my most anticipated new release of this year’s award season, and after finally getting to see it this week, I can safely say that it deserves all the praise that it is getting.

The movie begins by following an anxious, heavy-breathing Cardinal Lawrence (Ralph Fiennes), as he frantically makes his way through the dark streets of night-time Rome to visit the chambers of the dying Pope Gregory XVII. Taking his place bedside, praying alongside his fellow clergymen, Lawrence is reduced to tears when he realises his Holiness has departed. By virtue of his position as Dean, it is Lawrence’s duty to preside over the College of Cardinals, who will be gathering in the Sistine Chapel to elect the next leader of the most powerful religious empire in the world.

Going into the first ballot, four main candidates emerge as potential successors. The progressive, liberal Aldo Bellini of the United States (Stanley Tucci), the social conservative Joshua Adeyemi of Nigeria (Lucian Msamati), mainstream conservative Jospeh Tremblay of Canada (John Lithgow), and Goffredo Tedesco of Italy (Sergio Castellitto), a traditionalist and bitter rival of Bellini. The conclave, including Lawrence, are surprised by the late arrival of Vincent Benitez (Carlos Diehz), a Mexican missionary who claims the late Pope had him ordained in secret.

To prevent any external influence, the College are sequestered within the Vatican until a candidate receives the two-thirds majority needed to be elected Pope. With no outside communication, an increasingly paranoid and suspicious Lawrence begins his own internal investigation into various members of the College, with the quiet but observant Sister Agnes (Isabella Rossellini) and the Pope’s private confidant Archbishop Wozniak (Jacek Koman) providing crucial infomation.

Despite it not exploring the world of global politics, the central themes explored in “Conclave” surrounding electoral strategies and the conflicting conservative and liberal world views, share a lot of similarities with the modern day landscape, and how the general global shift to the right in recent times might lead to unity amongst the various left leaning opposers. Unlike politicians however, who rely heavily on their social standing and media perception, our College of Cardinals find themselves completely sealed off from the outside world, and it is not until civil unrest presents itself in the form of a car bomb in the third act that we see our characters finally reach a conclusion in their voting, after the six previous ballots all resulting in no majority winner.

As well as being thematically relevant in the current political climate, “Conclave” also provides the thrills and intensity expected of any gripping thriller, resulting in a dramatically satisfying conclusion, as well as a philosophical one. Throughout the drama, we are constantly reminded of a divided church, one that sees the liberal Cardinals willing to accept a less than preferable candidate as their new figurehead just to prevent the establishment from returning to its outdated past, potential undoing decades of progression. This ambiguity within the religion makes for captivating viewing regardless of your own religious beliefs, with the benignity and simplicity of the election process preventing any glorification of the world’s most profitable “business” – something that was clearly lost on Dan Brown when penning his God awful Robert Langdon series of nonsensical religious thrillers.

Being his first release since bursting onto the scene in 2022, there was a considerable level of expectation on Edward Berger to deliver the level of craft he had showcased with “All Quiet on the Western Front”, and while both films could hardly be any different, the German filmmaker has once again produced a visually stunning piece of modern cinema. Berger’s electric direction accompanied with Stephane Fontaine’s cinematography, provides plenty of visual reminders of the Catholic Church’s backwards sensibilities, despite making some progress in recent decades. It is almost comical at times to see the predominantly old and white members of the College, adorned in traditional robes and smoking cigarettes, using iPhones, MacBooks and keycards to access their carbon-copy dormitories. It is when we get these rare reminders of modern technology that we realise that “Conclave” is a contemporary piece, not a period one, much is the ancient traditions of not just the church, but religion in general.

Berger has expertly managed to create suspense and intrigue with resorting to outlandish narrative beats or contrivances, instead relying on the performances, sound design and Volker Bertelmann‘s pulsating score to propel the narrative along at a pace befitting of the razor-sharp dialogue penned by screenwriter Peter Straughn, in a fairly faithful adaptation of Harris’s novel.

As for the performances, it is hard to look past Fiennes powerfully restrained central performance, as we follow Cardinal Lawrence on his journey of self-reflection as he finds his faith tested – not in God but in the Church itself. It is arguably the greatest performance of his illustrious career, one that has largely seen him recognised for his more villainous roles, but seeing Fiennes cry at the sight of his dear Holiness’ empty chambers, is truly heart-breaking from an actor I cannot recall ever crying on screen. The whole ensemble is impressive here as they fight for the papacy, with Tucci, Lithgow and Msamati delivering compelling supporting performances. It is Castellitto though who steals the show amongst the Cardinals as the outspoken, right-wing Italian, Tedesco. Castellitto almost approaches the role as a Bond villain, with his controversial character looking to take the Church back to its Latin speaking days, removing those who cannot meet his traditional ideas. Outside the Cardinals, we have a sprinkle of Isabella Rossellini, appearing sporadically throughout the two-hour runtime. The veteran actress barely has a line of dialogue for the entirety of the first two acts, but we are constantly reminded of her presence as she oversees proceedings, and her fellow Sisters. Despite being neither seen or heard by the male members of the Vatican, she possesses the eyes and ears required to crumble any campaign in an instant, resulting in the movie’s most powerful exchanges of dialogue, as she sheds light on one of Lawrence’s many suspicions, whilst in the presence of the entire College of Cardinals.

A more than respectable follow up to 2022’s Academy Award winning “All Quiet on the Western Front”, Edward Berger’s latest feature is one of the standout releases of 2024, and is more than deserving of the strong buzz and award nominations it is currently being blessed with. Hopefully Berger continues his success with his next project, the Netflix-backed adaptation of Lawrence Osborne‘s 2014 novel “The Ballad of a Small Prayer“.

Conclave is now showing in UK Cinemas

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