CONCLAVE is a sophisticated drama that tackles faith and ambition

“Certainty is the great enemy of unity. Certainty is the deadly enemy of tolerance. Even Christ himself was not certain at the end.”

This past weekend saw the release of German director Edward Berger’s tightly wound and eye-opening thriller CONCLAVE which follows the College of Cardinals in the Vatican over the course of 72 hours as they vote to elect a new pope, navigating the waters of deceit, ambition, and faith as the most powerful figure in the world is chosen. 

Based on Robert Harris’s 2016 novel, CONCLAVE is an expertly directed and extremely sharp thriller that is as jaw-dropping to look at as it is to behold in the film’s 11th-hour twist that left the audience in my theater audibly gasping. 

The film follows Thomas Lawrence, Dean of the College of Cardinals, played by an impeccable Ralph Fiennes, who confides in his friend and Pope-hopeful Aldo Bellini (Stanley Tucci) about a conspiracy surrounding candidate Joseph Tremblay (John Lithgow) and the power-driven aspirations of Goffredo Tedesco (Sergio Castellitto) who seeks the papacy for his own all while contending with a surprise cardinal Vincent Benitez (Carlos Diehz) a Mexican-born archbishop out of Kabul. 

Lawrence finds an ally in Sister Agnes, the head caterer and housekeeper within the College of Cardinals played by Isabella Rossellini as the halls echo with traditionalism vs liberalism, the future of how the Catholic church is seen, and the embattled history of the church itself.

The film is more TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY than ANGELS & DEMONS, by which I mean it is a lot of “people talking” versus racing through the Vatican City to foil a nefarious plot, and it works all the better for it.

Fiennes is an actor many know from his blockbuster work as Lord Voledmort in the “Harry Potter” films, Judi Dench’s M successor in the Daniel Craig Bond movies, and Hades in the remake of CLASH OF THE TITANS, and Francis Dollarhide in RED DRAGON but CONCLAVE allows Fiennes to dip back into his more subdued “grown up” roles like that of THE ENGLISH PATIENT, SCHINDLER’S LIST, and THE CONSTANT GARDENER. 

While he is, of course, very capable in both blockbuster mode and his more adult-focused dramas, CONCLAVE allows him to deliver a passionate and very restrained performance full of gravitas. 

Stanley Tucci and John Lithgow, the supporting players here, also turn in fantastic work which allows the audience to really see the two opposite ends of what these people want the Catholic Church to become. 

Director Berger works with cinematogapher Stephane Fontaine (Captain Fantastic, Jackie) to drench CONCLAVE in atmosphere and shots that will take your breath away from rich looks at the Renaissance art in the College of Cardinals to scenes that would be mundane through any other lens but are elevated to works of art in their own right including the Cardinals convening in a dimly lit amphitheater or a wave of the Cardinals under white umbrellas moving into the college. 

The film is full of rich colors, especially the red garb of the Cardinals, and the setting is detailed so beautifully you can almost smell the incense and cigarettes. 

Close attention is paid to symbolism here as well, with turtles hinting at the film’s big twist or the piles of still burning cigarettes to convey the slow-burn sense of urgency surrounding the pope’s election. 

The final shot of the film sees Lawrence staring out the window after the election lockdown has been lifted, looking longingly at a group of nurses leaving the college’s medical wing, and the audience can feel that optimism towards the future on their bright faces.

What CONCLAVE does best is what it asks of the audience, to examine their own faith and to determine what makes the Church truly special. 

You might not leave the theater a believer in the Catholic Church, but you will leave perhaps with a greater understanding of the prejudices and beliefs that we all hold and how those can influence a generation to come.