‘Conclave’ Review: A Great Film with Powerful Performances

The timing of the media screening was eerily coincidental with last week’s news about the Catholic Church. The Church is a behemoth with massive support across the globe but has also found itself drowning in controversy for years. Before the screening on Thursday afternoon, Wednesday night had some mind-shattering news in store—the Archdiocese of Los Angeles agreed to pay $880 million to victims of clergy sexual abuse. With nuclear-level drama afoot, the film couldn’t have appeared more appetizing.

Directed by Edward Berger, Conclave offers a behind-the-scenes look at one of the world’s most secretive processes. Following the unexpected death of the pope, Cardinal Lawrence (Ralph Fiennes) assumes the daunting task of leading the conclave to select a new pontiff. This gathering of the Catholic Church’s most powerful leaders worldwide will uncover a web of secrets that could forever alter the institution.

As the dean of the College of Cardinals, Lawrence oversees the conclave. His recent faith crisis adds an extra layer of complexity to his already challenging task. Despite facing doubts and conflicting advice, Lawrence remains determined to uncover the truth.

The film’s “Big Three”, Ralph Fiennes, Stanley Tucci, and John Lithgow, delivered outstanding performances. Whether alone or in scenes together, their acting prowess and insightful dialogue will captivate audiences. Fiennes, Tucci, and Lithgow are a sight to behold. Many Cardinals had gathered to fulfill their responsibilities but others had gathered for a chance to take their opportunity to carpe diem and seek the highest leadership of the Catholic Church. The most notable participants were Bellini (Stanley Tucci), Tremblay (John Lithgow), Adeyemi (Lucian Msamati), Tedesco (Sergio Castellitto), and a late arrival to the fray, Benitez (Carlos Diehz).

The infighting began almost immediately. Those who sought the throne were busy lobbying for votes and holding council in secret. From what it appeared, Cardinal Tremblay was the leading conservative candidate while Bellini was the liberal and Tedesco would be considered far-right. Cardinal Lawrence had no skin in the game but did hold concerns about the wrong person taking the helm. But the Cardinal’s pure intentions drew skepticism from subordinates. “Who wouldn’t want this?” was uttered repeatedly by those in his orbit, but even with that, Lawrence remained uninterested.

Watching the film was very similar to watching a plane takeoff. The heavy object starts very slowly, but once it gains momentum, it continues, upward, without stopping; mirroring the evolution of this film. It plods for the first half hour or so but eventually finds its footing. The runtime is a perfect two hours and hosts enough drama to validate its length without going off the deep end (like the aforementioned scandal out of LA).

Conclave earns an 8.5 out of 10. With twists and turns throughout, it was a great feeling to see so many unpredictable events take place. Once you feel sure of the plot’s direction, it hits the brakes and veers left. I wouldn’t be surprised if the ending draws ire from the devout. For critiquing purposes, it was perfect, in that it was unforeseeable and a true “mic drop” moment. Speaking of those, Sister Agnes (Isabella Rossellini) has a moment herself that was crucial in the film. It’s not a film that’s going to convert you to catholicism, but it’s a well-acted, well-written film that happens to be set in the Vatican. Its PG-rating is proof that it stays on course without taking any extremes.

Conclave will be in theaters on Friday, Oct. 25.

-Jon Jones

Photos: Courtesy of Focus Features