Who knew a movie about the pope election process could be so intriguing and suspenseful?
Many are fascinated with the halls of power because only a select few get to walk through them. The Vatican holds historical and spiritual significance, especially for the 1.39 billion Roman Catholics worldwide. Adapted from the 2016 novel by Robert Harris, the political thriller Conclave takes the election of a new pope, a process known as the papal conclave, and mines it for its inherent drama and intrigue.
Ralph Fiennes leads a prestigious cast as Cardinal Thomas Lawrence, the man charged with organising and overseeing the conclave after the pope dies of a heart attack. He is second-in-command after the pope and gathers the 113 members of the College of Cardinals from around the world to be sequestered in Casa Santa Marta for 72 hours.
American Aldo Bellini (Stanley Tucci), who is Thomas’ close friend, is one of the favourites to become the new pope. The other papabili (candidates for pope) include the Nigerian Joshua Adeyemi (Lucian Msamati), the Canadian Joseph Tremblay (John Lithgow), and Italian Goffredo Tedesco (Sergio Castellitto).
The various factions clash over their differing alignments: Aldo is more liberal like the recently deceased pope, while Goffredo is a hardline traditionalist. The arrival of Vincent Benitez (Carlos Diehz), a little-known Mexican archbishop based in Afghanistan, shakes things up. Thomas uncovers shocking revelations as the stakes of the conclave grow ever higher, and the future of the Church hangs in the balance.
Conclave’s setting is specific, but its story of power, responsibility, and duty feels universally relevant.
“It is a wonderful topic for a political thriller, not [just] for a religious thriller,” director Edward Berger tells The Hollywood Reporter. “This could take place anywhere. It could take place in Washington, DC, or Downing Street, or a big corporation where the CEO job is vacant,” he adds. Berger, whose previous film was the Oscar-winning All Quiet on the Western Front, cites ’70s paranoid political thriller films like All the President’s Men and The Parallax View as influences on Conclave.
Berger and the other key crew members undertook meticulous research to make Conclave feel plausible. This includes hiring religious advisors Francesco Bonomo and Elio Lops to ensure the movie had a veneer of authenticity.
Harris’ novel was already well-researched, so screenwriter Peter Straughan built upon that while adapting it. “I did a lot of tours. I was trying to look at what it really looks like,” Berger says. “Catholics around the world, priests around the world, they take what they do seriously.”
While the cast and crew toured the Vatican, they were not allowed to film there. The movie’s sets were constructed at the historic Cinecittà Studios in Rome. The studio had a disassembled partial Sistine Chapel set in storage that the Conclave production rebuilt and modified. “The painting crew was extraordinary, and we put the Sistine Chapel together again in 10 weeks,” production designer Suzie Davies tells Variety. The movie takes some artistic liberties: costume designer Lisy Christl opted for a heavier wool fabric in a darker red than that of the real cardinals’ robes because they would read better on camera.
The principal actor donning said robe is Fiennes, who immediately connected to his character.
“I had an instinctive sense of recognition in the DNA of Lawrence’s character,” Fiennes tells IndieWire. He adds: “The anxiety and doubt and the questioning. He’s asking gentle questions and listening to answers and watching … You can, as an actor, inhabit an interior life, and you hope it reads on your face.” Indeed, Thomas is a quiet character who doesn’t say much and must keep a cool head under pressure.
Fiennes’ performance anchors the movie, and the audience views the proceedings from Thomas’ perspective. “I’ve never sat across from anyone who has a more intense gaze than Ralph. It’s very powerful,” Berger says of his leading man. “And that gaze is amazing for the screen and for this character.”
The movie’s cast is mostly male; the exception is Sister Agnes (Isabella Rossellini), the nun in charge of the cardinals’ accommodations and catering during the conclave. “They’re present but never speaking — like shadows,” Rossellini tells Town & Country of the nuns in the Vatican. “I am circulating through the film never saying anything, but when [Sister Agnes] speaks, she speaks so powerfully. I love that.” It is through the eyes of Sister Agnes that the movie examines gender roles and dynamics within the Church.
Conclave has drawn heated reactions, especially because it is about religion and is inherently political, but it is also one of the most critically acclaimed movies of 2024, winning the Golden Globe for Best Screenplay. At once a suspenseful thriller, fascinating character drama, and thought-provoking commentary on institutional power, Conclave makes for sophisticated entertainment.
Conclave follows one of the world’s most ancient events—selecting the new Pope. Cardinal Lawrence is tasked with running this covert process after the unexpected death of the beloved Pope.
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