Conclave (2024) review

Dir. Edward Berger

By: Steve Pulaski

Rating: ★★★½

Just when I thought oppressive election fatigue and the publicized bickering of both sides would steer me in the complete opposite direction of Conclave, its well-edited trailer, ensemble, and proven director all drew me in enough to welcome the invitation inside the Vatican to bear witness to catty, chatty Cardinals.

Working off of a book by Robert Harris, Edward Berger — the man behind the Oscar-nominated adaptation of All Quiet on the Western Front in 2022 — and screenwriter Peter Straughan steer Conclave in the direction of pulpy, John Grisham-thriller territory. Talky yet taut, the film shows the active pollution of the austerity of the Catholic Church at the hands of self-indulgent Cardinals, several of whom desperate to inherit the papacy following the death of the sitting pope.

When the pope passes peacefully in his sleep (in the film’s opening scene), it’s up to Cardinal Lawrence (Ralph Fiennes) to run the conclave in lieu of an imminent election. A should-be sacred process and subsequent torch-passing instead turns into a fracas underscored by gossip, deceit, and petty behavior. Overtime, the setting starts to mere that of a high school, with backstabbing being as prevalent as praying.

There are four serious candidates for pope: Cardinal Bellini (Stanley Tucci), a reluctant candidate who feels pressure to take over the papacy due to his progressive beliefs; Cardinal Tedesco (Sergio Castellitto), an ardent traditionalist with desire to take a more aggressive approach to antagonizing religious forces; Cardinal Tremblay (John Lithgow), a close confidant of the late pope who seems to be harboring many secrets; and Cardinal Adeyemi (Lucian Msamati), an African with conservative politics.

The death of the pope immediately brings a few secrets to light, with more to come about individual members of the College of Cardinals. One is the existence of Benitez (Carlos Diehz), who was made a Cardinal in secrecy (in pectore). For years, he was serving as the Archbishop of Kabul. This is just one of many hidden details that will be revealed over the course of the film, with Cardinal Lawrence struggling to keep a lid on his sequestered conclave with each passing election only making the future more opaque.

Conclave is led by an engaged ensemble of performers we know from the jump will do their characters justice. Fiennes embodies the reticence necessary for his position, making him entirely believable in the role. A scene in the pope’s chambers that requires him to show unadulterated, raw emotion is not only jarring but appropriately heavy in its gravity. Tucci and Lithgow, iconic characters actors in their own right, command their moments, large and small, as they communicate different ideologies. Relegated to the background, ready and waiting for her pivotal moment we know will come is Isabella Rossellini as Sister Agnes, who becomes the unintentional middle-woman in a scandal involving one of the cardinals.

Straughan does a nifty thing with the reveals of the cardinals’ secrets by slow-rolling the truth. Being that the film is told mostly from Cardinal Lawrence’s point-of-view, the process usually involves him bearing witness to an event or being tipped off by another member of the conclave that something is amiss. From there, he probes and investigates. This structure creates an active viewer, for the reveals themselves are not theatrical bombshells but those that come to light through well-written, pensively delivered dialog. Straughan has a little Aaron Sorkin in his convictions, which makes what could’ve been a stuffy mystery feel more dimensional.

Conclave does have some incredulous plot conveniences. One involves an explosion so egregious and well-timed that it makes the bombing in Joker: Folie à Deux seem believable. Another involves a twist you certainly won’t see coming; however, the platitude-laden monologue you probably will. These might be significant shortcomings in a lesser work, but too many aesthetic elements and great performances converge for them to detract from a film that, even at its utmost serious, has a slightly silly edge that makes it engrossing and wry.

Starring: Ralph Fiennes, Stanley Tucci, John Lithgow, Sergio Castellitto, Isabella Rossellini, Lucian Msamati, and Carlos Diehz. Directed by: Edward Berger.