Conclave ~ Review

“Our faith is a living thing precisely because it walks hand-in-hand with doubt. If there was only certainty and no doubt, there would be no mystery. And therefore no need for faith.” Says Cardinal-Dean Thomas Lawrence (Ralph Fiennes) in an early scene in Conclave. It is, in effect, the thesis statement of the film. A questioning of how doubt can lead us not only to faith, but also to power, ambition, and corruption. It’s another movie from this year about institutions that strive to be perfect, but can only be imperfect as they are made by fallible humans with their own biases and agendas. This is a complex film about faith, power, and yes, doubt that is also incredibly entertaining. It is a movie made for grownups (rated PG no less!) about grownup matters, and it is one of the year’s best films.

The Pope has just died of a heart attack. And now the Conclave must be convened where the College of Cardinals gathers to vote for the new pope. It’s up to Dean Lawrence to organize this conclave and ensure that it is performed to the rigorous standards of the Catholic Church. As the conclave begins there are four major candidates for Pope: Goffredo Tedesco (Sergio Castellitto) wants to take the church back to the days when Rome was the center of the religion, mass was read in Latin, and no tolerance for other faiths or homosexuals. There’s Bellini (Stanley Tucci), who doesn’t want to be Pope, but would rather progress the Church forward (i.e. expanding the role of women and promoting tolerance of other views) than see it slide backward. There’s Tremblay (John Lithgow) who seems to want the position simply for power. And finally, there’s Joshua Adeyemi from Nigeria (Lucian Msamati) another conservative. Even more mysterious is the appearance of Archbishop Vincent Benitez of Kabul (Carlos Diehz), who the Pope appointed as a Cardinal in secret before his death. 

Each of these men spend the conclave jockeying for support from the other Cardinals, and almost all of them have secrets from their past they’d rather not have revealed. Unfortunately, it falls to Dean Lawrence to investigate these men and their pasts, tricky to do to keep everything sequestered all the while having his own crisis of faith.

What makes Conclave so spectacular is that at its heart, it is a locked-room mystery thriller. This familiar structure allows the script by Peter Straughan (based on Robert Harris’ novel) to explore the complex themes of faith and doubt, without losing any suspense. Edward Berger’s assured direction keeps everything tense, but what’s great is how obsessed with process the film is. Everything, from the way food is laid out, to the way the Cardinals deliver their ballots into a chalice. It reminded me of the work of Michael Mann and his love and attention to process. Berger also stages everything so that, even if you are unfamiliar with the Catholic rituals of selecting a new Pope you are never confused.

This would all be for nothing if the cast wasn’t up to the task, and this is a killer cast. This is a film where Stanley Tucci gets to yell “This is a war!” but not go over the top. Or John Lithgow yelling “This accusation is mendacious!” and it all works. Isabella Rossellini even shows up and has a knockout moment near the end. Ralph Fiennes is fantastic as well, as a man trying to keep his calm (and faith) in an increasingly fraught situation. 

Conclave isn’t a subtle movie, but it doesn’t beat you over the head with its themes either. Instead, you quietly ruminates on the nature of faith as Ralph Fiennes calmly sets a turtle in a pond with a slight smile. 

Four out of Four Stars