Conclave
More of a political thriller than an awards-baiting drama, this all-star film is surprisingly pulpy and more enjoyable and accessible than you may have been expecting.
Premise: When the Pope dies, Cardinal Lawrence (Ralph Fiennes) is charged with convening a conclave of the Catholic Cardinals to elect a new Pope. As the liberal Cardinal Bellini (Stanley Tucci), the traditionalist Cardinal Tedesco (Sergio Castellitto), the moderate Cardinal Tremblay (John Lithgow) and the conservative Cardinal Adeyemi (Lucian Msamati) vie for votes, Cardinal Lawrence and Sister Agnes (Isabella Rossellini) begin to question some of the candidates’ motives and methods.
Review:
On paper, a drama about the election of a new Pope doesn’t sound particularly riveting, especially to a non-Catholic audience. But don’t let your preconceptions get in the way of you enjoying what is, in reality, a gripping political thriller about the backroom machinations, manoeuvres, deals and compromises that take place as the various candidates strive for the two-thirds majority that will see then named as a new head of the Catholic church.
You don’t have to have any knowledge of (or real interest in) the Catholic religion or the rules governing the selection of a new Pope to be able to enjoy Conclave, because fundamentally the movie is interested in the human drama behind the pomp and ceremony. The Cardinals are all portrayed as real people – for better or worse – and so some are not prepared to compromise their principles even if it loses them votes, some are clearly motivated by personal ambition, and some find themselves having to face hard truths about themselves during the election process.
“…much of the drama comes from the lies that the characters tell themselves…”
Setting what is effectively a political thriller in the conclave of Cardinals is an interesting choice, as it means that as much of the drama comes from the lies that the characters tell themselves as it does from the lies they tell others. In a standard political thriller, it would not necessarily be unusual to see characters motivated by naked ambition, making backroom deals in secret to advance their personal agenda – but here, everything is reflected through the prism of faith. So a character that is seen by others as ambitious may (at least in their own mind) feel that God has guided them to take up the position as the new Pope, while other characters aren’t so much making deals to secure backing as they are asking voters to listen to their conscience and the ‘will of God’ when casting their vote. The end result is the same – compromises, scandals, quid-pro-quo deals and shifting political alliances – but all under the guise of following ‘God’s will’.
I am not a Catholic and I have very little interest in organised religion generally – but I still thoroughly enjoyed the political manoeuvring and positioning in Conclave as the various candidates see their fortunes rise and fall during the many rounds of secluded voting. I didn’t predict many of the developments, and as a thriller, this kept me gripped right the way to the end.
“…at the core of this film is Ralph Fiennes’ mesmerising performance…”
Much of the credit for that belongs to the incredible cast, some of whom do a great deal with not a huge amount of screen time. Stanley Tucci plays the liberal frontrunner, whose main rival is the right wing traditionalist played by Sergio Castellitto, but John Lithgow and Lucian Msamati play other candidates who threaten to split the votes. All of these actors do a great job of encapsulating their characters in a short amount of screen time, but at the core of Conclave is Ralph Fiennes’ mesmerising performance as the unassuming Cardinal who’s seen as “more of a manager than a shepherd” by his peers. It’s revealed early on that Ralph Fiennes’ Cardinal Lawrence had been considering resigning his post as the Dean of the College of Cardinals as he felt he was not suited for a position in the heart of the Vatican – but soon he finds himself having to question the suitability of those candidates who do consider themselves worthy of the highest position in the Catholic church.
It's all very gripping from both a character drama perspective and as a political thriller, and this is also no doubt in part due to the direction of Edward Berger, this being his first film since his Oscar-winning All Quiet on the Western Front. My only note of warning would be don’t got expecting any huge twists – as pulpy as this movie can get in places, don’t go in expecting a third act revelation that the former Pope was murdered by one of the candidates, as it’s not that kind of movie. Ultimately, the twists in Conclave are as much about self-deception as they are about traditional conspiracies, but this character driven thriller is no less enjoyable because of it.
