Conclave
Directed by Edward Berger
Written by Peter Straughan
Starring Ralph Fiennes, Stanley Tucci, John Lithgow, Isabella Rossilini 
Rated PG
Runtime: 120 minutes
In theaters October 25

by Ryan Silberstein, Managing Editor, Red Herring

The Catholic Church has been one of the forces shaping our world for the last millenia or more, and, while its influence has diminished in some ways, it still remains a powerful institution in many parts of the globe. What the pope, the leader of the Church on Earth, says and does matter. Things have progressed in some areas over the last several hundred years. Pope John Paul II pardoned Galileo in 1992–which is better late than never, I suppose–but the Church still professes absolutist views on issues regarding sex, homosexuality, and abortion. However, The Church, like any institution, has factions within itself, jockeying for position and influence in order to steer its future. After a pope dies (or resigns but that has only happened once since 1415), the College of Cardinals are locked in seclusion while they elect the pope’s successor, a process called a conclave (from the Latin cum clave, “with a key”). Conclave, based on the novel by Robert Harris, depicts a fictionalized contemporary papal election that imagines the inner workings of such an election.

Cardinal Lawrence (Ralph Fiennes), Dean of the College of Cardinals, arrives in Rome after the death of the pope to see to his duties in organizing the running the conclave to select the next pope. While navigating the logistics of the conclave, he observes and consults with the cardinals who are expected to be in the running to be chosen. His close friend, Cardinal Bellini (Stanley Tucci) seems to be the favorite of the more progressive side of the Church. Many others favor Cardinal Adeyemi (Luscian Msamati), who would be the first African pope in over 500 years but is a hardliner on homosexuality and other issues. Also in the running are Cardinal Tremblay (John Lithgow), a sort of mainline moderate candidate, and Cardinal Tedesco (Sergio Castellitto), an Italian hardliner who would walk back many reforms. Adding an air of mystery to the proceedings is Cardinal Benitez (Carlos Diezh), appointed by the previous pope to lead the Church in Kabul in secret.

Conclave, like Edward Berger’s previous film, All Quiet on the Western Front (2022), oscillates back and forth between highly composed wide shots that feel like moving paintings and tightly shot conversations and insert shots of the electoral process. The visual storytelling is strong, especially with the use of insert shots rather than verbal exposition to explain most of the rules and procedures. Berger clearly excels at both, and seeing actors like Fiennes, Tucci, and Lithgow spar and conspire is highly engaging. Those with a connection to Catholicism (I went to Catholic schools for about half my primary and secondary education) will likely have a more immediate sense of the stakes and a higher sense of tension that builds as Lawrence begins to untangle some of the intrigue going on around him.

All of this builds over the course of the film’s first two acts in a very satisfying way. Information is revealed, plots begin to take shape, and some candidates are eliminated from the running. But something major happens towards the end of the film which suddenly shunts Conclave into a different genre than expected and not in a good way. After a steady, thoughtful first two acts, Conclave takes its focus off the characters and the ideologies at play within the Sistine Chapel, an error compounded by the rushed nature of the film’s final twist. The way this information is revealed would be enough of a dramatic surprise to function well on its own, but there are so many unexpected turns in the film’s final half hour or so that it almost feels like a whimper instead of the bang it was intended to be.