“Conclave” is a crowd-pleaser for the papacy

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At the beginning of the film conclaveAfter the Pope’s death, cardinals from all over the world come to Vatican City. In their scarlet robes they go to their guest rooms. A montage shows them wheeling their suitcases through cavernous entrances, taking smoke breaks and checking their iPhones. As they settle in, there are cigarette butts on the marble floor.

These images are impressive. Here are supposedly the most virtuous men in the world, not only behaving like normal people, but also littering the headquarters of their faith. How disgusting! How blasphemous!

And how juicy. Based on the 2016 novel by Robert Harris, conclavenow in the cinema, follows the titular process of electing a new pope, a mysterious task that the film suggests is largely a popularity contest filled with rumors and backstabbing. Caught in the vortex of egos is Cardinal Lawrence (played by the astute Ralph Fiennes), an Englishman who had recently attempted to resign from his position due to growing doubts about his faith, but who was appointed by the late Pope to lead the conclave anyway . He and his fellow cardinals must vote for days, if not weeks, on which of them should take the office, and vote until they reach a two-thirds majority. Determined to fight a fair fight, Lawrence plays mediator and detective when scandals arise, but his ongoing crisis of faith leads to a crisis of trust.

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conclave is by no means the first project to use the Vatican City as a paradoxical backdrop. The 2017 HBO drama The young pope (renamed The new Pope in its second season) portrayed worship as an absurd, often surreal exercise, during the 2019 film The two popes turned the transfer of papal power into a buddy comedy. But conclave feels particularly timely. Screenwriter Peter Straughan and director Edward Berger (whose previous film Things are quiet on the Western Frontreceived an Oscar nomination for Best Picture) have constructed a gripping psychological thriller that also serves as a stark allegory for the election year. Despite the heavy subject matter, the result is remarkably playful; without diluting the significance of the papacy or abandoning the novel’s attention to detail, conclave reveals the sometimes absurd nature of institutional practices by examining the fallibility of those who engage in them. Even the most righteous among us are just human, conclave points out. In a way, it’s reassuring to think of the oldest rituals as mere unfinished works.

Consider some of the personalities Lawrence has to contend with, even intimidated by the demands of being the pope: There is the pompous Cardinal Tremblay (John Lithgow), a Canadian who is given the chance to lead the church leading, almost watering in the mouth; Cardinal Adeyemi (Lucian Msamati), a cocky Nigerian candidate with a dedicated flock; Cardinal Bellini (Stanley Tucci), a progressive American who says he doesn’t want the papacy but balks at the competition; and the Italian Cardinal Tedesco (Sergio Castellitto), who is both bigoted and big-headed. conclave features a stacked cast of character actors engaging with the scenery and performing routines — for example, scribbling each other’s names on pieces of paper to cast their votes over and over again — that are both oddly earnest and absurd. These are grown men whose job it is to fill a position that matters to nearly 1.4 billion people, but they are also just, well, men.

But it’s a lot of fun conclave comes from the fact that the film initially appeared as a straightforward prestige project. The production team recreated the Sistine Chapel with a few tweaks to increase tension, including the precise shade of red worn by the cardinals. Berger has whispered conversations in shadowy hallways, uses slow-motion sequences set to operatic music, and builds impressive tableaux of cardinals eyeing each other suspiciously – elements that are then deliberately paired with inhibiting, self-conscious dialogue. The cardinals follow decorum and contemplatively debate who deserves the papacy, but they are most happy when exchanging gossip. They form cliques to complain about their rivals and accuse each other of various indiscretions. Sister Agnes (Isabella Rossellini), one of the many nuns who work behind the scenes to care for voters, delivers a monologue exposing the deadly sins of a cardinal, which caused a stir at the screening I attended and caused applause. Even Lawrence, the steadfastest of them all, gets caught up in the melodrama. “I feel like I’m at an American political convention,” he complains as he’s pulled into another sidebar to talk about yet another rumor. Of course he goes along with it anyway; It’s hard to resist hearsay.

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Lawrence also finds the church’s newly vacant position tempting. In his best moments, conclave uses its protagonist to explore the truly high stakes of the election as well as its sillier distractions. As the conclave continues – and the more votes he receives from his peers – Lawrence begins to reconsider his opposition to the papacy. In a late scene, Bellini notes that each cardinal secretly has a papal name in mind. Lawrence looks torn, as if he’s afraid to admit this truth to himself. Amid the thornier material, his inner conflict raises serious questions about the nature of spiritual devotion: Do Lawrence’s personal beliefs matter when it comes to collective worship? Would competing against Bellini, a friend, mean giving up one’s own values? Is progress possible in such a rigid institution?

As with other recent projects focusing on the papacy, the film leaves these questions unanswered and never deeply examines the church’s biggest current scandals, including allegations of clerical sexual abuse. conclave In its pursuit of narrative drama, it also adds a few too many contrived twists, but the film moves smoothly enough to avoid falling into pure fantasy. His revelations about piety as a facade may resonate best with viewers outside the Vatican, but I suspect some inside would admit to having had the same thoughts.