When Cardinal Lawrence is tasked with leading one of the world’s most secretive and ancient events, selecting a new Pope, he finds himself at the center of a conspiracy that could shake the very foundation of the Catholic Church.
The Catholic Church fields so much speculation on the origins of their strange and theatrical traditions and the implementation of such obscurities. How could a millennia-old institution employ a dead language to communicate, cover the globe in influence and power, and ultimately be ruled by a single human being for centuries? How does a place whose geo-political relation with the world seem so commonplace despite existing solely as a religious institution? Throughout the Catholic Church’s long history, they’ve been demonized, idolized, branded heretics, and the origin point for so much history it’s shocking they don’t influence the world more directly. And yet… When a new pope must be found, they do it in secrecy, layered in round after round, in an elaborate ritual. The rituals and historically rich locations provide the backdrop for one of the world’s more notoriously secret ceremonies, only to demonstrate not some secret society of uber-elite men changing the world’s fate but a gang of old men with foibles and weaknesses like the rest of us. This high-art portrayal of the sanctimonious Catholic Church contrasts with the profoundly humanistic Eminences who play at holier-than-thou and wind up House-of-cards’ing with much less murder.
Ralph Fiennes plays Cardinal Lawrence, a man who is tasked with leading the secretive sequestration that culminates in electing a new Pope, while the world’s College of Cardinals all return to the scene of the crime to vy for the most famous job in history. Several lead candidates come to the forefront immediately: Cardinal Bellini (Stanley’ the Tucc’ Tucci), a leader for the liberal faction; Cardinal Tremblay (John Lithgow), the middle-ground American candidate; Cardinal Adeyemi (Lucian Msamati) the leader of the African coalition, and Carindal Tedesco (Sergio Castellito) the vaping-wine-drinking conservative base who won’t rest until an Italian sits at the head of the papcy for the first time in sixty years. Mystery and intrigue surround each candidate: whether they bought their votes or not, whether they lied about their priestly duties, whether they are even still Cardinals. Even more mysteriously, a stranger shows up, a lone Cardinal hidden away to minister in Kabul of all places by the late Pope himself, throwing the entire college into disarray.
Edward Berger’s no stranger to solemn proceedings. His Oscar-worth adaptation of “All Quiet on the Western Front” drove home the horror and shock of warfare while subtly proving that war movies are inherently dogmatic. That is to say, he’s no stranger to making something feel solemn, super serious, and maybe self-important, which lends “Conclave” a gravitas from the get-go. From every Latin prayer to every Papal costume adorned, this thing never laughs at the institution it portrays. Instead, its lens focuses on the men at play here. Everyone gets their turn in the spotlight, and much like watching a bill pass in the House of Representatives, everybody has to have their moment. It’s enough to invite “House of Cards” comparisons except… It can never go there.
It’s ultimately not a thriller on the order of “House of Cards,” just the dramatic import of it. There is no murder, no turn-making chess moves. Melodrama plays in the most subtle ways – probably in the order of British drama rather than American style. This low-stakes development (hushed whispers, dramatic flairs, gone-in-a-heartbeat moments) can make the film feel a little silly. It has humorous beats that underscore its drama and highlight genuine tension. Those are intentional. Still, there are a few moments where the veil of importance is slightly askew, and we realize it’s a bunch of grumpy old men arguing over minor scandals. Maybe I’m too accustomed to an American election cycle to think some of these vast beats are as eventful as the movie portrays them. Cynicism, then, is my sin.
The movie’s fantastic, though! Berger’s intentionality with camera framing and shadowy lighting really rings out even in the simplest of beats. The work done to recreate the Sistine Chapel, the Catholic Church, every apartment room, every kitchen, and every location is gorgeously rendered and reminds us all that there is a weight of history in these proceedings. The lighting obscures faces occasionally and makes more of a meal out of the simple act of voting. The sound mix? Wow, the sound mix feels the most intentional of them all. The audio so singularly dials in on each actor that it feels like we’re alone in the room with them. At times, we hear every breath and gasp of Ralph Fiennes as he cries silently. Every swish and fold of fabric flapping as the Cardinals walk amongst the grounds renders in intricate detail. It wasn’t until the end when someone opened a window and let in the outside world’s noise, that I realized I spent the entire film without any outside ambiance. It’s almost entirely hushed whispers, air-conditioned rooms, and gentle candle flickers until the end.
Ralph Fiennes absolutely carries the team in this flick. His performance commands the world-weariness of a man at odds with his church but forced to do one last, most important, task. He steps up to the plate to deliver on quiet confrontations. Almost nothing in the movie reaches the peak of melodrama. Cardinals must be restrained in their manner, lest they lose their votes. Buoying him are the ever-conventional characters of John Lithgow, Stanely Tucci, Isabella Rossellini, Sergio Castellitto, and Lucian Msamati. Each one of them wriggles under Fiennes’ interrogation as he weeds out candidates one by one until you start to think Cardinal Lawrence might not be in it for the jurisprudence after all.
The film’s sense of stakes always feels a little abstract: a liberal faction battling for their ideology against overt conservatism. These ideas are not novel to American viewers who might wince at seeing basically a Catholic version of our own upcoming election, with less outright canvassing. Ultimately, the background ideology comes into focus with a rug-pull finale that had me cackling with glee, praying for a real-life event to happen. Maybe it’s a low-stakes way of taunting the church (who should know better by now than to rise to the provocation mostly to avoid the limelight), but it feels like the kind of puckish instinct that might just have validated what can, at times, feel like two hours of old men sitting and talking in a room.
“Conclave” is a self-important movie, but it makes a compelling argument that the Papacy is not something relegated to the old world. It still holds sway across the globe. Its fanciful trappings are the products of a millennium of tithe-collecting, and its institutional wealth prevents it from ever entirely collapsing. Instead, it can only be molded to adapt to the times. Whether that’s abandoning Latin as the language of the church for more regional languages or allowing queer clergy, there is a stake to this institution, even if its wrapped up in funky clothes. Thankfully, Ralph Fiennes and team carried the film over the finish line and made me guffaw at an audacious finale for what felt a bit overwrought. For the Oscar voters, it’s the sort of semi-political-self-serious flick that could carry Fiennes to the top, depending on what else hits this awards season. Regardless, watching Berger’s meticulously crafted ticking clock of a Catholic legal thriller is a pleasure.
Now available on Blu-ray™, DVD, and Digital, and on 4K Ultra HD™ February 11th, 2025
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