Edward Berger’s Conclave is a low-key melodrama that feels only a very small step down from his previous movie after directing the masterful war epic All Quiet On The Western Front. Here, Berger has to work with a more confined setting and an all-star cast to deliver fantastic performances, drawing the audience into the overall narrative.
Conclave highlights the nitty-gritty details with precision, showing how a new Pontiff is selected among a sea of humble or eager Cardinals ready to rule the most significant global Christian denomination. Palace intrigue abounds at the Vatican with various revelations that are both plot-heavy and thought-provoking, touching upon the theological greatness of “Of God & Men.” Yes, man-made institutions are flawed, and the feisty Cardinals didn’t come into play.
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One of Conclave’s strengths is how it reflects on the global political era; its themes are straight from the confessional booth of Christian nationalism, greed, and anxiety. It is very 2024, with Christendom divided between reactionary dogmatic or intellectually graceful theology. The room is divided just as much as congregations.
An exceptional musical score and the taut editing enhance the simmering tension that boils over as the plot progresses, which is a terrific stand-in for the film’s themes of the mystery of faith with the overhang of doubt.
Ralph Fiennes is terrific as the moral center of the conclave. He has many competing interests to balance with differing Cardinal factions and his own ambitions. His best moment is when he delivers an exceptional Jesuit-adjacent monologue that I cannot stop thinking about:
“Certainty is the enemy of unity…If there was only certainty, and if there was no doubt, there would be no mystery, and therefore no need for faith.”
The other cast highlights include Stanley Tucci and John Lithgow, who have juicy roles as Cardinals vying for the top spot with their agendas and secrets. Isabella Rossellini makes the most of every second of screen time and doesn’t utter a word during her best moments.
The twist in Conclave is not just unexpected; it’s wild and thought-provoking. It’s the kind of twist that leaves you reeling as you process its implications. Until now, the film may seem like a traditional dad movie, but it’s certainly not for the religiously inclined with a more conservative outlook. You will be processing the ending for a while.
Conclave is now playing in theaters.
