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“THE CHURCH IS NOT IN THE PAST.
IT IS WHAT WE DO NEXT!”
The Vatican (or sometimes referred to as Vatican City or officially named the Vatican City State) is a landlocked sovereign nation that sits in the heart of Rom, Italy. Becoming an independent entity from Italy in 1929 with the Lateran Treaty, The Vatican sits upon 121 acres and has a population of 764 (as of 2023) as well as being presided over by the Pope, who is the bishop of Rome and the head of the Catholic Church. Within this designated landmass, Vatican City contains both religious and cultural sites, which includes St. Peter’s Basilica, the Sistine Chapel, the Vatican Museums, and the Vatican Apostolic Library, with these locations housing some of the world’s most famous sculptures and paintings of era / movements of ancient times. Naturally, given the historical landmark that it holds on the religious faith, tourism, and popularity mainstream, Hollywood has taken an interest in always depicting the seat of power within Vatican City and / or the Holy Father (the Pope) in various facets and mediums within cinematic storytelling. Mostly utilized as a supporting role or in minor capacity, such displaying of this micro sovereign state and its leader have been used in a wide variety of genres such as sight for comedic levity (comedy), unseeing horrors of religious holy wars against the damned (horror), intrepid whodunit cappers (thrillers), and faithful understanding of a person’s belief (drama). Now, Focus Features and director Edward Berger present the latest film to utilize the backdrop of the Roman Curia and the principality for the Holy See in the movie Conclave, based on the author Robert Harri’s book of the same name. Does this movie find riveting merits within its depictions of of religious politics or is it thinly sketched film that slows crawls to its preachy ending?
THE STORY
The Holy Father (the Pope) is dead, and the leaders of the Catholic Church from all over the world are returning to the Vatican, preparing for a new conclave in order to decide who will take up the mantle of Vicar of Christ. During this decisive moment, Cardinal-Dean Thomas Lawerence (Ralph Fiennes), is declared dean of the conclave, tasked with organizing a major gathering filled with all types of men who envisioned themselves as the next pope. Lawrence remains steadfast and close to Cardinal Aldo Bellini (Stanley Tucci) a progressive thinking individual doesn’t want the job outwardly, but secretly remains hostile to the idea of others taking the position, including Cardinal Joshua Adeyemi (Lucian Msamati) with conservative social views, while Cardinal Geffredo Tedesco (Serigo Castellitto), an extreme right-wing traditionalist with no patience for the “liberal” ideology. Also waiting in the wings is Cardinal Joesph Tremblay (John Lithgow), who met the Pope a before his death, using such connection to position himself as a promising selection amongst his religious brethren. As conclave commences and the voting begins, the cardinals are spilt amongst the favorites frontrunners, with special interest being spotlighted on an unlikely candidate in Cardinal Vincent Benitez (Carlos Diehz), who emerges from Afghanistan under strange circumstances, and showcasing a quiet clarity that intrigues many, including Lawrence. As rounds of deliberations come and go with no visible sign of clear elected winner, scandalous secrets and dubious motivations rise to the surface, with Lawerence trying to navigate the path that lay before him, while suffering from a crisis of faith of his recent appointment of organizing the Vatican and the church’s future during these proceedings.
THE GOOD / THE BAD
I can definitely say that there is air of mystery, intrigue, and religious allurement when it comes to talking about the holy city state of The Vatican and the Vicar of Christ (aka the Pope) that reside within. Yes, I am a catholic and have certain type of beliefs within that faith. I wouldn’t say that follow the religion rigorously and follow doctrine to the letter, but certainly take the values and beliefs in apply that to my everyday life. I know that might make me a sort of “cafeteria catholic” (borrowing the line from The Da Vinci Code), but it’s something I believe in and practice within my own personal reflection and interpretation of my own faith. And yes, I have traveled to Europe several times and actually had the opportunity to the visit The Vatican twice and it is truly something to behold. The walk the halls of the seat of power for such a major religion presence to something to see to believe. The artwork, the architecture, the frescoes….I mean the Sistine Chapel is breathtaking to see in real life. Anyways, as I mentioned above, depictions of The Pope and The Vatican have been numerous shown in a wide variety of feature films throughout the decades of moviemaking. From goofy and comedy appearances in films like Eurotrip to fending off demonic spirits and horrors in movies like The Pope’s Exorcist, or even mystery thrillers as found in dramas like Angels & Demons, amongst many others. In short, while The Vatican and The Pope will be revered and looked upon as the “beacons” for the Catholic Church and its faithful, such imagery will always be utilized in the form of cinematic tales in various capacities of storytelling forms.
This brings me back to talking about Conclave, a 2024 mystery thriller that is to be based on the novel of the same name by author Robert Harris and the latest film to take such a religious faith as the central figure of the story. To be quite honest, I really didn’t hear much about this movie when it was first announced. It definitely wasn’t “on my radar” as a “must see” film and I really didn’t hear about until I saw the film’s movie trailer (once, mind you) when I went to the movies in September. From the preview alone, it did look quite interesting, especially since the premise looked like it was going to be mystery surrounding the death of the previous pope (presumably) and about who was going to be the next one. Plus, I take notice of the cast, which looked quite stack with the likes of Fiennes, Tucci, Lithgow, and few others. Additionally, the movie’s previews made the feature look like it was going to be a “award contender” for the upcoming movie award season, which (again) got me interested in seeing it. Unfortunately, while Conclave was set to be released on October 24th, 2024, I regrettably didn’t get a chance to see the movies during its theatrical run, for I was a little bit backlogged with doing other movie reviews / seeing other movies in theaters, which resulted in me forgoing seeing the film at that time. I did, however, began to hear / read a lot of reviews for the movie, with many giving positive reviews for Conclave. So (again), my interest was piqued, and I decided to blindly buy the movie when it began available on digital home release on Fandango a few weeks back and was able to view the during the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. Now, following my completion of several other reviews that I needed to get done, I am ready share my personal thoughts on what I thought of Conclave. And what did I think of it? Well, to be honest, I was quite surprised by it and loved it. Despite some minor complaints that I had with its progression and a few missed opportunities, Conclave is a riveting, excellent, and shocking mystery thriller that is steeped in character drama, political manipulations, and terrific examination of faith and religion that’s wrapped together within a beautiful and cinematic presentation. The movie might be a turn off for some due to slow-burn nature, but the ends justify the means for a rewarding and satisfactory viewing experience.
As a side-note….since I had worked at bookstore for many years, I am quite aware of Robert Harris’s work as a literary writer, recognizing some of his titles, including Conclave (vaguely remembering shelving the book from time to time as well several customers buying it). That being said, I never got the chance to read Harris’s novel of which this movie is based off of. Thus, my review is going to be solely based on the film itself and not comparing what was added, changed, or omitted within its translation from page to screen.
Conclave is directed Edward Berger, whose previous directorial works includes such films as All Quiet on the Western Front, Jack, and All My Loving. Given the amount of success, awards, and acclaim that he had received on All Quiet on the Western Front, Berger seemed poised to helm a new film project that had same type of high caliber storytelling and character examination. Thus, I definitely can see why Berger would want to tackle such a project like Conclave, which is ripe with character study and spiritual aspects to make for a rather juicy and rich movie to present. Perhaps the fascination of Berger’s direction and overall approach for Conclave is in the simplistic nature of the overall film within its story, which does sound like I’m saying a bit odd, but hear me out. The tale of being told in the movie is rather simple….the pope has died and a new pope must be elected from the collective body of cardinals. In essence, that’s the main plot of the feature. Yes, there are layers to the narrative (I’ll go a little more into that below), but the long and short of it is basically that. Thus, Conclave isn’t exactly story driven, especially since Berger gives the cinematic presentation have very narrowed view on focusing on a singular event, with very little shown before or after the event. So, where the feature’s true strength lies within its various characters comes in and out of the picture, with the movie have a more character driven that drives everything forward. This, of course, means that the acting talent involved plays an instrumental driving force for the film’s runtime, with Berger allowing the film’s cast to let their theatrical talents shine through within their dialogue driven moments or even just in their screen presence in a wide range of scenes. This trust between the actors and director can be sometimes difficult to pull off the right way, especially if both entities groups are not seeing “eye to eye” on the full scope of the feature’s vision. Thankfully, Berger and the cast (and almost everyone involved on this film) seem to be working in-sync with each other, and gives Conclave the correct way to present a character driven drama piece that is quite riveting to watch from onset to conclusion.
That’s not to say that the story being told is boring and plays “second fiddle” to the cast / character of the movie. In fact, Conclave’s plot is quite intriguing and has plenty to offer within its subtext and content throughout. Adapting Harri’s novel for the movie is Peter Straughan, who extracts a very thematic and gripping tale from the source material and shapes it for a motion picture endeavor. While I haven’t heard Harris novel, one can easily summarize that the major conflict, characters, and themes are left intact from original novel and that the screenplay reinforces that common threads by weaving a very enticing motion picture drama. The story is rich with a lot of political intrigue and maneuvering, which is something one wouldn’t expect from a plot that involves picking a new leader from a major religion, yet the backroom tactical moves and motivations are slowly exposed and cast into the spotlight. With Lawerence as the main character, who is our point of view along with us, unravels a mystery behind such tactful ambitions, dubious deception, and, above all else, a theological understanding of a person’s faith and belief. Berger, along with Straughan’s screenplay, delivers a very powerful and engrossing movie that weaves plenty of familiar tones and themes and projects them on characters and individuals, who are clouded with their own religious aspirations and making the ultimate decision of who is to be the new pope a rather ambiguous one.
This is very much Berger’s direction for the movie that helps deliver many of the feature’s enthralling narrative that unfolds throughout the presentation. True, the movie’s premise and subplots are nothing out of the ordinary for a drama / thriller story, which includes backstabbing, blackmail, and uncovering thee truth behind lies, as well as not saying anything different from such present day views / ideologies of today’s world religion views on the Catholic Church’s politics and position. Yet, Berger plays to the strengths the correct way without mishandling them or overreaching in his framework for the movie and cultivates a well-deserve feature that works from start to finish. It is definitely a slow burner type production, with the director slowly unfolding many various layers of its characters, inching closer to its inevitable and thought provoking conclusion. Thus, some might be a little bit turned off by the slow nature of the feature’s overall progression (more on that below), but the payoff of it all is worth it, in my opinion. In the end, Berger is the perfect director for a picture like this, presenting Conclave in a captivating and exciting way for a drama thriller production.
For its presentation, Conclave is quite the magnificent piece that is bolster by the lavished and intricately detailed sets and costumes that help make us (the viewer) be transported to the inner sanctum halls of the Vatican. While the principal photography took place in Cinecittà (a large film studio in Rome, Italy), various production workers and designers had private tours of the actual Vatican in order to replicate the very pristine and gilded look of the various aspects that the film wanted to achieve in the feature’s primary setting. While some liberties might have been taken, the end result is something quite regal and opulent to the famous halls held inside of the Vatican principality realm. From the expansiveness of its marble halls and staircases to the lush frescoes of the Sistine Chapel, the detail for such depictions is definitely a character unto itself and lends authenticity to the movie’s overall look and feel. Even the film’s costumes are drawn with plenty of appropriate style of wardrobe attires, yet still have that “cinematic quality” to make them feel grandiose and visually appealing. It’s sort of like the one foot in reality, while other in filmmaking fantasy. Again, the end result is sheer brilliance for a backdrop setting piece. Thus, the film’s “behind the scenes” key players, including Suzie Davies (production design), Cynthia Sleiter (set decorations), Lisy Christi (costume designs), and the entire art direction team, for their solid efforts in bringing this movie’s world to life on the cinematic level with plenty of visual style and flair.
Speaking of cinematic level and visual style, the cinematography work by Stéphane Fontaine is top notch in and out of Conclave’s presentation and gives off some terrific moments that play up some of the more “dramatic” scenes quite well. The usage of various camera angles and utilizing shadowing and lightening to add some weight and dynamics to many scenes are truly breathtaking to behold and help capturing a sense of gravitas from onset to conclusion. Additionally, I felt that the sound editing and mixing was also something of being noteworthy mention in this review, which provided plenty of clear and precise dialogue audio, especially when actors / characters are speaking with heavy accents, as well as several moments that require some audio clarity in sounds design, which were great throughout. Lastly, the film’s score, which was composed by Volker Bertelmann, who had worked with Berger on All Quiet on the Western Front, delivers a very powerful score for Conclave, demonstrating the serious weighty tones and papal dignity that the feature’s story calls for. Bertelmann’s musical composition has an interesting layer of dramatic flair, suspenseful tension, and harmonious choir scattered throughout the movie and helps generate such palpability within the score and aides the suspenseful moments in many scenes. A great film soundtrack indeed.
Unfortunately, there were a few pieces (mechanical and integral) that I felt in the movie that were drawn out a little bit too much and created a few minor problematic criticisms that don’t derail Conclave, but leave small blemishes on its cinematic tale. How so? Well, for starters, it is a slow burner (by design) and while there is much that I do praise Berger for creating it as such (with a good and rewarding ending) it does feel at times that the main bulk of the feature does drag a several times in slow pacing. Again, I understand the reason why, especially by letting the cinematography work soak up the various scenes as well as letting the acting talent involved play to their thespian strengths, yet at the same time it does like the movie could’ve had a tighter focus with a bit more “pizzazz” here and there. I would put this movie in the same category as Lincoln and Steve Jobs, with majority of the movie’s story consisting of many characters talking back-and-forth a lot in conversations with very little movement of storytelling. Don’t get me wrong, I do love Lincoln and Steve Jobs a lot (as well as this movie), but it is a word of caution for some out there who are looking for something more “exciting” in Conclave and who might be turned off with a constant bantering of characters posturing for religious politics “in the name of God”. Again, not a huge deal for me, but I would’ve like the movie that much more if it added a bit more excitement to it to spice up some of the more auditory grasping of religious men who want to be the next pope.
This also plays a little bit into the film’s script and, while do praise it for its riveting material, there are several parts that I would’ve like to seeing better handled here and there. Examining the film’s story (as a whole), I felt that there was just a little bit more to it. There is a lot of potential with tale of being told, with the narrative rife with dubious allegiances, mystery motives of several individuals, political maneuverings, a slew of conflicts (both internal and external), and the difficult decisions of deciding who would be the new pope. Thus, I kind of wanted to see a bit more in the story in these various aspects, adding more substance to the tale where there are a few gaps that could’ve been easily filled in and allowed more narrative to Conclave’s overall storytelling. Again, not a big deal breaker, but something I would’ve liked to see more substance in the plot and its surrounding narrative threads.
Perhaps my last minor criticisms is in the last minute or two of the feature, with Conclave’s final moments ending rather awkwardly. This is usually the case with movies that place a higher regard to artistic integrity rather than mainstream popularity, so I kind of figured that Berger was probably ending in such way. That being said, the final shots of the feature end the film on a rather ambiguous note and I kind of was looking for something a bit more concrete. I mean….I’m no director, but would’ve closed out Conclave in a more different manner. I know, I know….it’s not a major super big deal for many out there, but it’s almost like Berger didn’t really have a solid way to end the movie. Just a very minor complaint.
What’s definitely the film’s “bread and butter” of Conclave would have to the cast, which lends so incredible strong performances from the entire cast, which is a mixture of familiar and unknown acting talents that help provide some great characters that populate the feature in a wide variety of roles. Given the fact the movie is a “character study” drama piece, it is the cast involved that does a lot of the film’s “heavy lifting” for the feature, with Berger’s direction for the movie allowing them to give their own distinctiveness within their respective characters, especially with the ones who have larger screen presence. The end result is something truly great all the way around as the cast for Conclave is sold across the board. Leading the charge in the movie is actor Ralph Fiennes, who plays the central protagonist character of Cardinal-Dean Thomas Lawerence, the Dean of the College of Cardinals. Known for his roles in The Constant Gardner, Schindler’s List, and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2, Finees has always been a quite a capable and talented actor, playing various roles as both hero and villain and in various capacities (i.e., lead or supporting ones). He’s a very versatile actor and certainly knows how to present his dialogue lines in the correct way as well as lending his screen presence without any showing of showboating or overacting. Thus, he is absolutely is cinematically sublime as Lawerence in the movie, providing plenty of character nuances through his facial expressions, body movement, and dialogue delivery.
In addition, the character of Lawerence is also one that is drawn out quite well and is clearly a “meaty” role for any actor to play. There is ton of conflict within Lawerence, a man who is high position of power and is wary of those who are around him (motivations and ambitions), yet still remains outwardly vigilant in his duties while also feeling inner turmoil from within. Fiennes imbues those nuances in Lawerence beautifully and gives plenty of character in his dialogue delivery with such profound talent. 0 In the end, Fiennes gives one of his most theatrical driven character performance since playing Amon Goeth in Schindler’s List and, while I will always love him as Lord Voldemort in the Harry Potter film saga, his portrayal role as Cardinal Lawernce is sheer brilliance and memorable performance from start to finish.
Looking beyond Fiennes’s Lawernce, Conclave has several larger supporting characters, with many being recognizable faces attached to play these characters and again lead a type of theatrical credence within their respective sum parts. This is clearly noticeable in the inclusion of actors Stanley Tucci (Spotlight and Lovely Bones) and John Lithgow (The Crown and Footloose) in the characters Cardinal Bellini and Cardinal Tremblay, two very ambitious men looking to be the next pope and who are the “favorite” choice in the election process. Both Tucci and Lithgow showcase their acting prowess in almost every scene that they are in the movie and, who are usually paired with Fiennes, and give some electrifying dialogue driven moments that only actors of their talent can give. Likewise, actors Lucian Msamati (His Dark Materials and Game of Thrones) and Sergio Castellitto (Mostly Martha and The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian) gives several dramatic and compelling character built moments in the film as Cardinal Adeyemi and Cardinal Tedesco, both of whom are very ambitious individuals who are looking to become the next pope. Similar to Tucci and Lithgow, Msamati and Castellito give some stirring acting scenes in the film and deliver some great acting skills in their respective roles.
Behind them, actor Carlos Diehz (The Vegan Vampire and It Gets Dark Too Early) does a small but impressive job in playing the role of Cardinal Benitez, a relative newcomer to the college of Cardinal who arrives at the Vatican under mysterious circumstances. The last of this grouping is the character of Sister Agnes, the head of the Order of nuns that are sequestered away with the Cardinals during the electoral process of a new pope, and who is played by actress Isabella Rossellini (Blue Velvet and Merlin). I love Rossellini has an actress and her performance as Sister Agnes was quite riveting whenever she was on-screen, but her downside the character has very limited screen time. This is sort of where I think that the script would’ve benefited if Sister Agnes was expanded upon and played a larger part in the narrative. Still, Rossellini was quite good in the role and loved that she was a part of Conclave’s ensemble cast.
The rest of the cast, including actor Brian F. O’Byrne (Nightflyers and Aquarius) as Lawrence’s assistant Monsignor Raymond O’Malley, actor Merab Ninidze (Without Remorse and The Courier) as Cardinal Sabbadin, actor Thomas Loibl (Charite and Zeit der Helden) as Archbishop Mandorff, actor Jacek Koman (Defiance and Children of Men) as the “Prefect of the Papal Household” Archbishop Janusz Wozniak, actor Loris Loddi (A Professor and Sospetti 2) as Cardinal Villanueva, actor Valerio Da Sliva (Viola and The Equalizer 3) as Father Haas, actor Rony Kramer (Spiral and A Nice Jewish Boy) as Cardinal Mendoza, actor Joesph Mydell (Woman in Gold and Tonight You’re Mine) as Cardinal Nakitanda, actor Vincenzo Failla (The Bad Guy and Run Away) as Cardinal Guttoso, actor Garrick Hagon (A Bridge Too Far and The Message) as Cardinal Krasinski, actor Roberto Citran (Nine and The Bull) as Cardinal Lombardi, and actress Balkissa Maiga (The Bride in Red and The Mongrel) as Sister Shanumi, make up the remaining players in the story as minor supporting characters. While some have more scenes than others, all of the acting talent in this grouping give spot on performances within their limited screen time and certainly feed off the main leads / supporting roles whenever they share the same screen.
FINAL THOUGHTS
The pop is dead, and the throne is vacant as a new leader of the faith must be chosen, but with dubious internal political motivations and fierce ambitions of men jousting for the spotlight…. who will be the newly elected pope in the movie Conclave. Edward Berger’s latest film takes a very focus look on The Vatican echelon hierarchy and “back door” power plays, while also demonstrating the cinematic pull of a tantalizing mystery drama. While some elements of its slow burner framework does need some ironing out as well as a few supplements narrative substances, the feature rises above those criticisms, with special thanks to Berger’s direction, a meaty story, a fantastic character study piece, great thematic messaging on politics and faith, a rich presentation, incredible cinematography / score, and powerful performances from Fiennes, and a solid acting from the cast across the board. Personally, I loved this movie. I knew that is was going to be more character driven story and it was all the better for it, especially when the film examines the various characters and their motivations. It was gripping, riveting, and quite the thought provoking at times, wrapped up in a religious fervor of intrigue and faith presentation. Everything works the correct way and the end result is truly cinematically sublime. Thus, my recommendation for this movie is a very satisfying “highly recommended”, with special attention to those who are looking for a very rich narrative being told or even those who like “award winning” style of motion pictures storytelling. In conclusion, Conclave is another brilliant achievement from Berger, demonstrating his meticulous nature of shaping a broader narrative of the process of electoral religious leadership ceremony, while examining the aspiring yet flawed characteristic of ambitious individuals and the ambiguous state of God’s influence.
4.5 Out of 5 (Highly Recommended)
The Official Website for Conclave Link: HERE
Released On: October 25th, 2024
Reviewed On: December 18th, 2024
Conclave is 120 minutes long and is rated PG for thematic material and smoking
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