Josh Reviews Conclave

I did not originally think I’d have any interest in a film about a bunch of old men in a room choosing the next Pope.  But Conclave, written by Peter Straughan (based on the novel by Robert Harris), directed by Edward Berger, and starring Ralph Fiennes, John Lithgow, Stanley Tucci, and Isabella Rossellini, a a banger!  It’s a verbal thriller that is fun and fascinating and kept me guessing right up until the end.  I highly recommend this film!

The story begins with the death of Pope, at which point Cardinal-Dean Thomas Lawrence (Ralph Fiennes) is tasked with leading the conclave, an assemblage of the College of Cardinals in which they will select the next Pope.  There are several leading candidates: the liberal American Bellini (Stanley Tucci); the right-wing Italian traditionalist Tedesco (Sergio Castellitto); the Conservative Nigerian Adeyemi (Lucian Msamati), and the ambitious Canadian Tremblay (John Lithgow).  Also in the mix is Archbishop Benitez (Carlos Diehz) of Kabul, who arrives at the conclave with evidence that the Pope, before his death, had secretly made him a Cardinal.  Although these are all holy men, as the story unfolds, Lawrence (and we the audience) begin to suspect that many of them might be hiding various skeletons in their closets.  It’s a race against the clock to uncover the truth and ensure that only someone deserving of the position gets chosen to be the next Pope.

I loved this film.  It’s anchored by several toweringly great performances, starting with Ralph Fiennes, who is absolutely magnificent as Lawrence, a man who does not want the responsibility of running the conclave but, because he has it, will do his job to the very best of his ability.  It’s a wonderfully written role, and Mr. Fiennes is simply tremendous.  John Lithgow is always entertaining, and he is perfect as the high-on-himself Tremblay.  We learn early on that Tremblay might be hiding something about his final meeting with the now-deceased Pope; Mr. Lithgow plays the role just perfectly, such that we can believe that Tremblay might be hiding something bad, or that he’s honestly hurt and confused why anyone might accuse him of something untoward.  (OK, it’s John Lithgow, so I guessed that the odds were with the former; but still, Mr. Lithgow’s performance is perfectly calibrated!)  Stanley Tucci is equally impressive as Bellini.  Mr. Tucci makes Bellini likable right away with his plain-spoken liberal leanings; the film also is fun in how it allows Mr. Tucci to bring some additional shadings to the character as the story unfolds.  It’s tremendous fun watching these three men bounce off of one another.

The supporting characters are equally great.  Isabella Rossellini is wonderful as Sister Agnes, the woman in charge of the nuns who take care of all the behind-the-scenes running of the conclave.  There’s a fascinating upstairs-downstairs dynamic at play in the story, as these men in their rooms of power don’t seem to pay much attention to the women around them, but it’s clear that Sister Agnes knows where the bodies are buried.  There’s one key scene in which she matches wills with Mr, Fiennes’ Lawrence, and it’s a blast watching these two great actors go at it.  Lucian Msamati (who never got enough screen time as Salladhor Saan on Game of Thrones) is terrific as the quiet and dignified Adeyemi, and Sergio Castellitto is fun to watch as the brash, arrogant Tedesco.  Carlos Diehz does great work as the quiet Benitez, allowing the audience, and the characters in the film, to wonder what his story really is.

This is a drama, but it’s never dour.  The film’s plot zips along, and I found the story to be a great deal of fun as I tried to figure out who really meant well and who was villainous.  There’s also some true thematic depth here.  Lawrence gives a speech in the film about faith that I found to be deeply moving.  He talks about how doubts are normal and even virtuous, and that it’s absolute certainty that should be feared.  I was giving a hearty mental “amen!” to myself in the audience.  The various story threads come together well to form a satisfactory conclusion.  (The only thing that stuck out to me was the way one event outside the sequestered conclave intrudes on the proceedings late in the film.  That felt a bit awkward and out of nowhere to me.  But I understood the storytelling reason for that choice, as the pieces were put in place for the story’s conclusion, and I can live with it.)

The film immerses us in the procedures and rituals of the papal conclave in a way that is fascinating but never confusing.  Without pausing for boring or laborious exposition, director Berger and screenwriter Straughan and their team have found ways to artfully communicate to the audience everything we need to know.  It’s skillfully done.

There are some gorgeous visuals in the film.  Mr. Berger and cinematographer Stéphane Fontaine compose some beautiful imagery that allows us to luxuriate in the beauty of the Vatican and the details of the ornate outfits of the cardinals and other members at various levels within the Church hierarchy.  It helps elevate this story, which is basically a series of conversations between old men in various rooms, by placing those conversations in the midst of such a gorgeous setting.

Conclave is an excellent film, an interesting, entertaining story for adults.  Give it a try if you haven’t seen it yet!

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