Conclave

by Julian Spivey

Photo: Focus Features

Director: Edward Berger
Starring: Ralph Fiennes, Stanley Tucci & John Lithgow 
Rated: PG (thematic material & smoking)
Runtime: 2 hours 

​A film about the selection of the next Pope shouldn’t be as thrilling and fun as director Edward Berger’s “Conclave” proved to be.

“Conclave” takes one of the world’s most secretive events – participating in the selection of a new leader of the Catholic Church – and turns it into a barnburner of a thriller where multiple characters might become the next Pope or see their chances fall by the wayside with controversies bubbling to the surface.

In a world that feels like politics, and the film's release in the U.S. directly before the Presidential Election was almost certainly intended, there’s infighting, liberal vs. conservative ideology, and the idea of the church moving forward or falling decades behind.

It’s incredible that screenwriter Peter Straughan’s screenplay, based on the 2016 novel by Robert Harris, was able to make such deliciousness out of something that should’ve been a crawler of boredom.

The film begins with the death of the Pope, who is hilariously billed as “Dead Pope” in the end credits (no, this isn’t a comedy, but that was objectively funny). Cardinal Lawrence (Ralph Fiennes) oversees the conclave to select the next Pope as the Dean of the College of Cardinals. There are four Cardinals primarily in the fight to become the next Pope: American liberal Cardinal Bellini (Stanley Tucci), moderate Cardinal Tremblay (John Lithgow), who may be American or Canadian – I can’t tell if they ever specifically say but Wikipedia has listed as Canadian, Nigerian Cardinal Adeyemi (Lucian Msamati), a popular choice with conservative social views such as anti-homosexuality and Italian Cardinal Tedesco (Sergio Castellitto), a hardliner traditionalist who wishes to return the church to its original ways, including Latin mass.

Some also want Cardinal Lawrence to be Pope, even if he initially disagrees. He’s been embroiled in self-doubt and a crisis of faith and even tried to resign before the Pope’s death.

Then there’s the mysterious Cardinal Benitez (Carlos Diehz), unknown to the other Cardinals because of his dangerous work in war-torn Afghanistan, which the Pope had kept secret.

The other significant characters with essential roles in “Conclave” are Sister Agnes (Isabella Rossellini) as the head caterer and housekeeper of the conclave, who plays a substantial role in knocking some sense into the Cardinals at a critical moment in the film as the feminine voice the church so often fails to listen to. And there’s Monsignor Raymond O’Malley (Brían F. O’Byrne), an assistant to Lawrence who’s essentially playing the role of private investigator, as he’s able to leave the conclave and run down leads and search for information while the Cardinals are all secluded for the event.

As with most mystery-thrillers, getting too far into the plot could serve as a spoiler and would undoubtedly impact the enjoyment level of viewers, which I would never want to do. So, I will say that the path to being the next Pope holds many intriguing controversies and showdowns between characters so amazingly portrayed by veteran actors the likes of Fiennes (he’s going to be one of the front-runners for Oscar’s Best Actor), Tucci and Lithgow that you’ll be unable to take your eyes off the screen. And the ending … wow. It was one that simultaneously made me smile while also making one nearby member of my audience audibly gasp. You probably won’t see it coming.

You’ll hear about this one a good amount come awards season, so it's a must-watch if you’re into that stuff.

It'll also be a pleasure if you’re looking for a taught two-hour thriller about a topic we rarely see.