Movie Review: ‘Conclave’ | Moviephone
Opening in theaters on October 25 is ‘Conclave’, directed by Edward Berger and starring Ralph Fiennes, John Lithgow, Stanley Tucci, Isabella Rossellini, Brian F. O’Byrne, Sergio Casellito and Carlos Diehoz
Related Article: Ralph Fiennes and Director Edward Berger Talk Thriller ‘Conclave’
Initial thoughts
If Eon Productions can somehow lure Edward Berger – the German director of 2022’s devastating ‘All Quiet on the Western Front’ and now ‘Conclave’ – to direct the next James Bond film, they can now have my money. Between the brutal scope of ‘All Quiet’ and the cerebral thrills of this new Vatican-set suspense drama, Berger has effectively demonstrated his ability to bring intelligence, visual intelligence and narrative coherence to two disparate genres – though one could argue that ‘Conclave’ is also about war, only Played on a different front.
The process of selecting a new pope, a ritual shrouded in antiquity and mystery, is revealed in Berger’s absorbing film to be anything but sacred. With various cardinals jockeying for power and positioning themselves for office, intrigue and scandal left and right, ‘Conclave’ brilliantly demonstrates that even the supposedly holiest of men – and yes, it’s all men – can be as petty, vain and malicious as anyone else. And it’s impressive how Berger encapsulates all the pomp and circumstance of the cinematic equivalent of a paperback beach read.
Story and direction
After the Pope’s sudden death, Cardinal Thomas Lawrence (Ralph Fiennes), as dean of the College of Cardinals, must assemble the conclave of cardinals who will elect the successor to the pontiff. Although cardinals still flock to the Vatican from all over the world, camps form around specific candidates. Cardinal Bellini (Stanley Tucci) is America’s liberal, forward-thinking progressive; Canadian Cardinal Tremblay (John Lithgow), already a papal adviser at the Vatican, is a moderate; Cardinal Adeyemi (Lucian Massamati) of Nigeria is conservative and fiercely anti-gay, but may break new ground as the first African pope; And Venice’s Cardinal Tedesco (Sergio Casellito) is even more reactionary and seemingly determined to drag the Church back into the Middle Ages.
Once all the cardinals have been assembled – including the mysterious, ethereal Cardinal Benitez (Carlos Diaz) of Kabul, whose existence was apparently known only to the late Pope before his unexpected arrival – they are closed off to the outside world to begin voting. Almost immediately, scandalous information began to emerge and shake up the voting process: Lawrence was informed that Tremblay had been asked to resign on an unknown matter the evening before the Pope’s death, while a figure from Adeyemi’s past showed up and threatened to ignore him. Even his position as a cardinal. As round after round of anonymous voting continues, even Lawrence – who supports Bellini – begins to collect votes, causing Bellini and others to suspect that he really wants the job for himself. Secrets are revealed to everyone – even the nuns, led by the formidable Sister Agnes (Isabella Rossellini), who is there to serve the cardinals but acts as a silent force within the proceedings.
All of this is seen throughout production designer Suzy Davis’ extravagant recreation of the Vatican, including the Casa Santa Maria and the Sistine Chapel, so the supposed spiritual nature of the process peels away like a mask, revealing political maneuvering, petty jealousies, hidden histories. , and the potentially malicious ambitions that lie beneath. Each of the major cardinals – those actively seeking the papacy and those who claim not to seek it – maneuvered against the others, while Lawrence was forced to reveal certain information that could influence the outcome. The selection even has its own location.
Berger paces and paces it like a spy thriller, with whispered confessions, secret meetings and startling revelations, but minus the car chases, bone-crunching fisticuffs and explosive shoot-outs, of course. There’s also a nice sprinkling of humor – delivered especially dryly by Fiennes – that punctuates the muted proceedings here and there. Yet the film still creates a palpable tinge of suspense as it reveals the human failings at the heart of one of the world’s oldest and most secretive institutions. While some of the Church’s own failings — such as its inability to deal with a seemingly never-ending stream of sex-abuse scandals in real life — are glossed over here, and a late-game twist doesn’t come close enough for its impact, “Conclave” is nevertheless a hit from start to finish. Exploiting
the cast
‘Conclave’ offers a superb ensemble cast model, led by the great Ralph Fiennes in one of his best performances ever. When we meet him, Cardinal Lawrence is a man already in deep crisis of faith, unsure if he even wants to be a cardinal and reluctant to oversee conclaves and elections. His doubt about his own faith mirrors that of the late Pope, and the more Laurence explains, the more you see in Fiennes’ eyes and how disillusioned he is. And yet something in him remains aligned with his God, and halfway through the speech he delivers to the conclave makes it clear that he is in many ways well suited to the papacy he rejects. Fiennes is simply brilliant in the role of a man struggling to maintain his composure and spirituality in a situation that tests them relentlessly.
“The most dangerous are the men who want it” is a theme that echoes through the film, and all the other “men who want it” – Lithgow, Tucci, Castellito and Massamati – bring their vain, ambitious characters to life with deft strokes, Tucci especially. Excellent in portraying the subtly manipulative Bellini. Newcomer Carlos Diehoz, in his first major film, brings a calmness to Cardinal Benitez that makes an impression despite the character’s complicated place in the narrative. And of course there is Isabella Rossellini, the epitome of strength, courage and indomitability as the head of nuns who is there to silently support the conclave – a woman who nevertheless speaks whenever she opens her mouth.
final thought
We can expect ‘Conclave’ to be part of the Oscar conversation this season, even if it’s not as awards-friendly as Berger’s ‘All Quiet on the Western Front’. But nominations for Best Picture, Best Actor (Fiennes), Best Supporting Actor (Tucci), Cinematography, Editing, Costume Design and Production Design all look like they’ll be in the mix, with Berger and Rossellini also potential contenders depending on the strength of their categories. All will be well deserved: this is in many ways a classic vintage big studio film production.
As we noted earlier, the ‘Conclave’ does not address the real-world issues and conflicts facing the Church as it lurches precariously into the 21st century, its mission and raison d’etre much in flux. It is, when it comes down to it, a political thriller steeped in pageantry and mystery of a vast, murky religious establishment. But Peter Straughan’s screenplay (from the novel by Robert Harris) and Berger’s sure-handed, meat-and-potatoes direction – which suits this material as effectively as his more stylized work in ‘All Quiet’ – reveal that there’s a lot more going on underneath. The surface, and even an institution that claims to be acting at the behest of its God, is still privy to human will, whim, and weakness.
‘Conclave’ gets 9 out of 10 stars.
“What happens behind these walls will change everything.”
Showtimes and tickets
From director Edward Berger (All Quiet on the Western Front) Conclave follows one of the world’s most secretive and ancient events – the election of a new pope. Cardinal… read the plot
What is the plot of ‘Conclave’?
When the Pope dies, Cardinal Lawrence (Ralph Fiennes) is tasked with convening the conclave to elect his successor. But the late pope’s secrets, as well as the conspiracy of some other cardinals, threaten the process and the papacy.
Who is in the cast of ‘Conclave’?
- Ralph Fiennes as Cardinal Thomas Lawrence
- Stanley Tucci as Cardinal Bellini
- John Lithgow as Cardinal Tremblay
- Sergio Caselitto as Cardinal Tedesco
- Isabella Rossellini as Sister Agnes
- Lucian Massamati as Cardinal Adeyemi
- Carlos Dehez as Cardinal Benitez
- Brian F. as Monsignor Raymond O’Malley. O’Byrne