When I walked out of Conclave, I instantly knew I just saw one of the best films of the year. I didn’t expect a film about Catholic Cardinals would be one of the most tense and edge-of-your-seat political thrillers in years. This film is perfectly timed as you can connect this story about the election of a new Pope to what we are dealing with in the US and what the UK just went through with their elections. Directed by Edward Berger with a screenplay by Peter Straughan, the film follows Thomas Cardinal Lawrence (Ralph Fiennes), the Dean of the College of Cardinals, as he has to bring together the Cardinals together following the death of the Pope to pick a new Pope. From here, four candidates rally for support to become the new Pope.
Stanley Tucci plays Cardinal Bellini, a liberal from the US who is positioned as the one candidate to stave off a regression of the Church to earlier, more conservative policies. Next is John Lithgow plays Cardinal Tremblay, a Canadian conservative who had a conflict with the Pope. Lucian Msamati plays Cardinal Adeyemi, a Nigerian cardinal whose socially conservative views contrast his economically progressive views and how his ascension could show change in the Catholic Church by being the first African Pope. Finally, we have Sergio Castellitto as Cardinal Tedesco, from Italy, who is pushing to take the Church back in many ways as he sees the Church’s openness has led to a lack of prominence of the Church in the world; in many ways, he’s the Make The Church Great Again Cardinal but also reminds one of the Far Right Political leaders all throughout Western Europe over the last decade.
This campaign dynamic relates closely to our election season, and it’s interesting to see that this process that many have no clue about yet feels so familiar. Like we all know the Pope, we know there’s a process. What this film also adds is the investigative drama into each potential Pope. Here is where Fiennes is in his bag; his character is questioning his faith and his position in the Church, but the Pope asked him to stay, and now he has to do this. He can be seen as the only person who can do that, and then it flips on you as others question that and causes more upheaval in his own heart even more. Tie all this up with the Nuns and the inherent patriarchal power structures in the Church and how the character of Sister Agnes (Isabella Rossellini) rides for her fellow nuns to help bring to light some of these Cardinals’ unworthiness at being the head of the Church. All the performances are excellent and captivating on screen.
The directing by Edward Berger, along with photography by Stéphane Fontaine, has some shots in here along with camera movement that grab your attention, bring you into this world, and make it less than a mystery. Being in Rome, it can feel like the past but also completely current in the present day. Conclave is one of my favorite films of the year; with a great premise and fantastic performances by veteran actors, it’s one of the films you should see this end-of-the-year season.
Score: A
