Conclave (PG) ★★★★

“Conclave” was filmed at the legendary Cinecittà studio in Rome, where the Sistine Chapel was painstakingly recreated. This excellent film is based on a novel of the same name by Robert Harris, published in 2016. Peter Straughan’s fantastic screenplay centers on a British cardinal, Lawrence (an astonishing Ralph Fiennes). He is uncertain of his faith and must lead and serve as the dean of the College of Cardinals, the group charged with selecting the pope, who just died. Stanley Tucci, John Lithgow, Lucian Msamati, and Sergio Castellitto are papal contenders. They are not based on real people but are instead mixtures of contrasting blocs within the church, traditionalist and progressive, that also loosely define existing currents, Harris said in interviews.

Isabella Rossellini stars as Sister Agnes in director Edward Berger’s CONCLAVE, a Focus Features release. Credit: Courtesy of Focus Features. © 2024 All Rights Reserved.

I thoroughly enjoyed viewing this two-hour movie; even though, I am not Catholic. I’ve been to the Vatican three times and marveled at its beauty. Seeing the Sistine Chapel for the first time was a moving experience, as I became ‘misty-eyed.’ Yes, art creates an emotional feeling for me; that’s why I enjoy viewing works of art all over the world. “Conclave” is a beautiful movie; the rich-deep red costuming alone of which the Cardinal’s wear is worth the invested time. The director, Edward Berger and his team of casting directors have created a beautiful, educational story that gives us each tiny detail of what happens when a Pope dies. I had no idea of the inner workings of vying for the honor or how voting works. I can tell you that you’ll see all of the rituals that have been in place since the beginning.

Ralph Fiennes stars as Cardinal Lawrence in director Edward Berger’s CONCLAVE, a Focus Features release. Credit: Courtesy of Focus Features. © 2024 All Rights Reserved.

In a recent interview with Burger from the New York Times, Berger said, “The cardinals are going into the Sistine Chapel to vote for this next pope. Ralph Fiennes gives the introductory speech in a homily. We chose this piece of music at the very beginning. It’s actually the only music that isn’t composed. Everything else is composed in the movie. So, it’s the only kind of source music sung by a choir. And it is the only piece of music that is played in the Sistine Chapel for hundreds of years. And I found this fact on a 6:00 AM morning tour.”

(L to R) Brían F. O’Byrne as Cardinal O’Malley and Ralph Fiennes as Cardinal Lawrence in director Edward Berger’s CONCLAVE, a Focus Features release. Credit: Courtesy of Focus Features. © 2024 All Rights Reserved.

In my research, as of 20 October 2024, there are 234 cardinals, of whom 121 are eligible to vote in a conclave to elect a new pope. Cardinals are appointed by the pope for life, but eligibility to vote ceases at the age of 80. When the film opens, Lawrence is on the move, hurrying through dark streets and into an abrupt drama filled with whispering, scurrying men, one of whom will be anointed as the new head of the Catholic Church. There are women as nuns; most noticeable is Isabella Rossellini, giving great side-eye as Sister Agnes. She’s shown as a strong influence by giving her opinion in a pivotal scene.

(L to R) Ralph Fiennes as Cardinal Lawrence and Stanley Tucci as Cardinal Bellini in director Edward Berger’s CONCLAVE, a Focus Features release. Credit: Courtesy of Focus Features. © 2024 All Rights Reserved.

Lawrence has been enduring a personal crisis, a kind of spiritual insomnia, and had asked the pope (Bruno Novelli) if he could leave Rome for a religious retreat. The pope denied him, telling Lawrence that while some are chosen to be shepherds, others need to manage the farm. With the pope dead, the reluctant Lawrence has no choice but to step up and begin managing the conclave. It’s interesting to note that the word ‘conclave’ means ‘a room that can be locked’ in Latin. First and foremost, everyone needs to be sequestered until the announcement of “Habemus papam” (“We have a pope”) is reached, but until then, it’s every Cardinal for himself.

Sergio Castellitto stars as Cardinal Tedesco in director Edward Berger’s CONCLAVE, a Focus Features release. Credit: Courtesy of Focus Features. © 2024 All Rights Reserved.

The lead candidates are an agreeably balanced group of sincere, crafty, yet smooth operators who soon circle Lawrence with their tongues wagging and hands wringing as they make their moves. Lawrence’s crisis of faith continues, from strength to weakness, as the voting comes down to the wire. Fiennes’s performance is in his subtle nuances as he’s truly struggling with not only his enormous task, but the sorrow and grief he feels for his beloved dead pope weighs on his psyche. A great scene is when he’s in the Sistine Chapel, looking up at Michelangelo’s painting of “The Last Judgment.” He’s staring at a man, a hunched-over and visibly disturbed soul that’s being dragged into hell by devils. One can only guess what he’s thinking, yet a conflict is evident.

Pay close attention to the scene in which Fiennes is brought to tears, it is in that scene I believe he will be nominated for an Academy Award and he just may win. I was moved to tears; he’s that good! Although, the rest of the stellar cast is worth a view. Stanley Tucci is wonderful, as he does want to be pope and lets it be known loud and clear; we find out that each Cardinal in their hearts really does seek the office. What you’ll also find surprising is the plot twist near the end, as it’s a shocker that begs the question of gender, yet also that men are not God; it argues that we are all God’s creation.

Director: Edward Berger

Script Writer: Peter Straughan

Cast:

  • Ralph Fiennes as Cardinal Thomas Lawrence, a British liberal and the Dean of the College of Cardinals
  • Stanley Tucci as Cardinal Aldo Bellini, an American liberal 
  • John Lithgow as Cardinal Joseph Tremblay, a Canadian conservative
  • Sergio Castellitto as Cardinal Goffredo Tedesco, an Italian traditionalist
  • Isabella Rossellini as Sister Agnes, the cardinals’ head caterer and housekeeper
  • Lucian Msamati as Cardinal Joshua Adeyemi, a Nigerian social conservative and economic progressive
  • Carlos Diehz as Cardinal Vincent Benitez, a little-known Mexican archbishop working in Afghanistan

Studio: Focus Features

Runtime: 2 Hours

Sarah Knight Adamson© October 25, 2024