It is mildly obnoxious that, as soon as I stumble on a theme for the year, the world conspires to make it not work immediately. No major celebrities have passed away in the past few weeks. While I certainly do not wish more people would be dying, it does make it hard to stay on theme. However, with just a little bit of creativity, we can serve the theme and discuss a film. And that film is Conclave (2024, dir. Edward Berger).
Conclave, as the name implies, tells the story of a recently deceased pope and the centuries-old process of how the Catholic church chooses his successor. This particular election is led by Cardinal Thomas Lawrence (Ralph Fiennes). It becomes clear that there are four leading candidates, three of whom are more traditional in their thinking and one of whom is more progressive – Cardinal Aldo Bellini (Stanley Tucci). Things get thrown into some disarray when it is alleged that traditional Cardinal Joseph Tremblay (John Lithgow) was asked to resign from his post by the previous pope prior to his passing. Additionally, allegations of misconduct are brought up by Sister Agness (Isabella Rossellini) and the last-minute arrival of a new cardinal in pectore (Archbishop Vincent Benitez – Carlos Diehz) further divides the already fractured council.
Conclave utilizes a slow-burn methodology to create drama. By introducing several potential winners to the election (including Cardinal Lawrence eventually), it keeps you guessing where it will eventually go. I will confess (HA! See what I did there?) that I correctly predicted the ultimate winner but not the surprise speed bump that materialized shortly after his election. If you prefer fast-paced thrillers, this is probably not for you. Ordinarily, I prefer a more quickly developing plot, but this one had me interested from the beginning. It is one of those films that does everything well and nothing amazingly. The performances are all strong with none standing out as award-worthy. The script and direction are strong without being other-worldly. The set design and cinematography do a very good job as well. Some films get to a B+ with several great things and several mediocre things, but this one gets there through consistently above-average work.
The controversial ending was one I knew nothing about going in, so I will not spoil it here. I can understand where traditionalists will not be big fans of it, but the interesting arguments between what would be considered progressive in the Catholic church and the return to traditionalism is what props up this film, even though its ending gets most of the press. Because the film is told through the eyes of Cardinal Lawrence, who aligns with the progressive wing, the traditionalists are certainly painted as the antagonists. However, there is great pettiness and underhandedness on all sides in this unique look inside a largely shrouded process. It is ultimately what makes Conclave a good film. Check it out while the actual conclave is occurring, and you can feel you are living history in your living room.
FUN FACT – In pectore means “in secret” and signifies a cardinal who is not publicly named for his protection. In the case of Archbishop Benitez, this is because he is serving in Kabul and Catholicism is thought to be more dangerous there. In reality, five cardinals who began their careers in pectore have later been elected pope – the last being Pope Pius IX in 1846.
Just Watch says that Conclave is currently streaming on Amazon Prime. It is also available for rent/purchase on Apple TV and other services.
As a reminder, here is the original post that details the scores and weighting system.