In the realms of “they just don’t make ’em like this anymore”, Conclave stands proud. A deeply engrossing and profoundly silly suspense film set in the Sistine Chapel, director Edward Berger shifts from the vast and grim battlefields of All Quiet on the Western Front to this intense chamber drama about how the sausage is made vis-à-vis selecting the new pope. The movie is both obsessed with process and disdainful of it, humbled by the power and tradition of the Catholic Church but mindful of its reputation for corruption. As a (lapsed) Catholic, this doesn’t feel contradictory at all. This is a culture contaminated by doubt yet ruled by convention and obedience. Conclave takes a snapshot of that dichotomy, examining the ruthless politicking that plagues every layer of Vatican city.
The film is based on a novel by Robert Harris, a prolific author of historical fiction with several best-sellers to his name. Conclave feels like something between Dan Brown and John Grisham – pulpy airport fiction, basically. Berger gives this property the adequate amount of respect, does not patronize its mainstream audience, and still manages the occasional wink at the story’s absurdity. When I watched All Quiet two years ago, I would not have guessed that Berger was a director capable of self-conscious humor, but Conclave proves me wrong. Of course, the humor only works so well because the movie presents itself as so, so serious (a score by Volker Bertelmann ignites with severity). After all, this is serious subject matter. The pope has just died. There have been rumors of his ill health for a while, but nothing certain. The wheels in motion, the process must begin to choose his replacement.
Ralph Fiennes, an actor whose talent level and career longevity could rival anybody, plays Thomas Lawrence, the Cardinal-Dean of the College of Cardinals at the Vatican. Thomas had a dedicated but complicated relationship with the late pope. A recent crisis of faith put them at odds before his death. His authorial position (as Cardinal-Dean, he is in charge of the conclave which chooses the pope’s replacement) brings him no peace. The various candidates inundate him with information about the others. Sects rise and biases form. Most surprising, an unexpected guest arrives right before the conclave is to begin. A Mexican Cardinal stationed in Kabul, Vincent Benitez (Carlos Diehz), claims he was made a Cardinal in secret, for his protection in Afghanistan. There are skeptics, but Vincent allows him to join the proceedings.
Thomas’s preferred candidate is Aldo Bellini (an excellent Stanley Tucci), an American liberal who stands for progress and reform and hopes to expand on the late pope’s platform of change – the Bernie Sanders of the bunch. On the other end is Goffredo Tedesco (Sergio Castellitto), an Italian traditionalist who wishes to force Catholicism back to its oppressive roots – Vatican MAGA, essentially. Other viable candidates: Joseph Tremblay (John Lithgow), a Canadian conservative who stands for nothing but what will satisfy his ambition for power (your contemporary corporate Democrat); Joshua Adeyemi (Lucian Msamati) a Nigerian centrist who stands for economic progress but holds bigoted, reactionary social views (this would be your common culture war Republican). If it feels like I’m being glib in their political designations, just know that Conclave courts this comparison explicitly.
The four mentioned above are viewed as the truly viable candidates, and the groups begin their behind the scenes canvassing, influencing supporters to their side. They’re shut off from the rest of the world, officially sequestered and cut off from any possible influence. Their meals are cooked and beds made by an array of nuns who are by definition meant to be completely impartial to the proceedings. Standing and serving silently by rule of God. They’re led by Sister Agnes (Isabella Rossellini), who watches over everything like she’s holding her own deep, dark secrets. As the initial ballots roll in, the expected Cardinals receive their votes, but shockingly, the newly-arrived Benitez gets a handful of votes too, and perhaps even more shocking: Thomas receives even more. At the start of the conclave, Thomas was debating leaving the church altogether after its conclusion, now he’s forced to confront how much he would like the pontificate for himself.
As tensions rise, the greed of others becomes clearer. Infighting sparks within the groups, and allegiances are challenged. With the papacy within reach, some make desperate claims and others wither in the limelight. As Cardinal-Dean, Thomas must perform proper investigation of the candidates’ abilities, a process that only brings more drama to the proceedings. This is a premise ripe for drama, and Conclave is intelligent in how it ladles it out to us. As the folly of each candidate reveals itself, another large chunk of the church’s reputation (and Thomas’s esteem for it) falls away. Before the conclave opens, Thomas performs a homily which preaches the virtues of doubt, and claims to want a pope who resists perfection and instead embraces humanity and asks for God’s forgiveness. As the conclave unfolds, he’s then shocked to learn how flesh-and-bone these cardinals really are.
The positioning of Conclave as an awards season costume drama does feel ill-fitting. The film’s broad strokes are effective but they don’t really ask themselves to be taken seriously. If anything, this is more of an election movie, coming within weeks of another consequential American presidential election where the choices seem contained to those who show no promise for progress. If I identify with Thomas in any way it’s how I go through the motions of a political process only to be left cold by the very actors who are meant to inspire. Thomas doesn’t want to be pope, but perhaps that’s what makes him particularly suited to the job. Anyone who earnestly wants such power would be susceptible to the level of corruption it takes to achieve it. Even Aldo, outwardly modest, has bursts of anger and ego. Is there ever a way to find a leader that we can trust?
Conclave asks these heady questions, but is smart enough not to volley an answer. Berger knows that Peter Straughan’s script specializes in precise structure, not stirring acumen. For the emotion, he turns to his ensemble, a stable of veterans who work in lock-step with the movie’s narrative momentum. Lithgow, Castellitto, and Msamati are all playing tropes, but they deliver their one-note monologues with fervor and grace. Rossellini barely speaks, but gets the one standout sequence you expect near the middle of the film – it’s a small moment, but she knocks it out of the park. Tucci gets a little bit more of a character to play. Bellini builds his stable of support while stating how much he doesn’t want it, but when opportunity arises, he can’t help being strident on his policy, and embittered about his rivals. It’s a riveting portrayal of a progressive politician, portraying the frustration of trying to change conservatism from the inside.
Our star is Fiennes. His performance of Thomas Lawrence is a typical English character. Burdened restraint, roiling interiority – a stiff upper lip ready to crack with anxiety. This is not a typical Fiennes take. He prefers exteriority, and he seems most comfortable when Thomas is allowed to fly off the handle. Still, Fiennes acts as stage manager to the band of players revolving around him, and its his steady hand the keeps the film most afloat, especially in its more outrageous narrative flourishes. The movie’s ending has been a topic of conversation. It apparently keeps the same ending as the book. The “twist”, such as it is, is only shocking because of the kind of movie that it is. It feels like a wild swing, but in reality it’s a premise that’s baked into Straughan’s script from the beginning. There are no perfect candidates, sure, but Conclave ventures a hope that, just maybe, there are still people who care.
Directed by Edward Berger