Director Edward Berger's papal election thriller is sinfully entertaining and divinely provocative all while breaking bread on modern day power struggles.
The German-Austrian filmmaker swept the boards at the 2022 Academy Awards with his ferocious anti-war epic All Quiet on the Western Front, and his latest offering looks set to be another awards season winner he’ll be accepting with grace.
Adapting Robert Harris’ 2016 bestselling novel of the same name, Conclave centres on the 750-year-old ritual of selecting one of the most powerful religious leaders in the world following the death of the Holy Father, and the sequestered cardinals vying for the necessary majority of 72 votes.
Behind the scarlet vestments are flawed human beings battling with their own egos and moral compasses, all while trying to win over a casual 1.4 billion Catholics.
The pulpy thriller isn’t about church controversies and cover-ups. Instead, it focuses on the contentious selection process of a new leader at a time of deepening political division. Ironic that it opened in the States a mere two weeks before the presidential election?
With his subdued expressions and oddly poetic diction, Fiennes' Oscar calibre performance as the conflicted dean of the Vatican's College of Cardinals is a triumph of muted grandeur. He deftly brings viewers into a world that severely tests the moral fibre of the clergymen, his own faith, and the contradictory nature of religion.
Fiennes may be the main attraction, but this is very much an ensemble piece. Stanley Tucci resists the urge to overact as liberal Cardinal Bellini, the Secretary of State and close advisor of the deceased pontiff, giving what could very well be the finest performance in his distinguished career.
Isabella Rossellini emerges as Conclave's secret weapon taking on the role of jaded nun Sister Agnes - keeping her eyes and ears open to the underhandedness going on around her. With very few words the Italian actress is the engine that drives the movie forward.
Screenwriter Peter Straughan's (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy) confidently crafted script gives the story and characters breathing room, while allowing the audience to experience the isolated world of the cardinals fraught with personal and professional betrayal.
With the world awaiting the iconic puff of white smoke, Berger’s trusty long lens embraces the importance of visual aesthetics without losing any substance in terms of narrative action. As he takes audiences inside the secretive, clandestine halls of the Vatican (replica sets were built at Rome's infamous Cinecittà studios), striking visuals such as an overhead shot of the cardinals parading through St. Peter’s Square carrying identical white umbrellas will appease the masses.
Composer Volker Bertelsmann's ominous score is worthy of an 'amen' - with his formidable strings echoing the story's mystery and intrigue.
Here's to lighting a candle and lifting a cup for Conclave come January’s Oscars.
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