Conclave (2024) – Review

Quick Thoughts – Grade B+ – Blessed by an excellent performance from Ralph Fiennes and outstanding production design, Conclave will prove to be a crowd pleasing experience.

Directed by Edward Berger (All Quiet on the Western Front), and written by Peter Straughan (who adapted the 2016 novel written by Robert Harris), Conclave focuses on the papal conclave attended by the College of Cardinals who gather together to choose a new Pope after the prior Pope died of a heart attack. The cinematography by Stéphane Fontaine (Jackie, Elle, Rust and Bone, A Prophet) and production design by Suzie Davis (Saltburn, Mr. Turner) will surely be nominated for Academy Awards as they make the hallways, corridors and Sistine Chapel (which was built in 10 weeks for the film) look gorgeous. This PG-rated drama/thriller is loaded with a welcome dose of human drama, backstabbing, and surprises – which should make it a sleeper hit.

Conclave works on many levels, but it’s powered by Ralph Fiennes who plays Cardinal-Dean Thomas Lawrence, the Dean of the College of Cardinals who is forced to organize the papal conclave to choose the new Pope. The guy has an absurd amount on his plate as he’s dealing with potential candidates, troubling reports, and the surprise appearance of the Archbishop Benitez of Kabul, who became a Cardinal when the prior Pope secretly bestowed the honor on him (without telling anyone else). Fiennes excels as a man who is spearheading the vote for the next Pope while dealing with religious doubts that make him an excellent candidate to become the next visible head of the Catholic Church (nobody wants to vote for the person who wants it too much). He’s flawed, dogged, and committed to making sure the correct Cardinal wins the popular vote. The four popular candidates are Aldo Cardinal Bellini (Stanley Tucci), Joseph Cardinal Tremblay (John Lithgow), Goffredo Cardinal Tedesco (Sergio Castellitto) and Joshua Cardinal Adeyemi (Lucian Msamati), who represent the traditional, liberal, conservative and social conservative branches of Cardinals. They all have supporters and detractors and a couple of them have skeletons in their closets that come out at the worst time. What makes Conclave work so well is that it plays like a thriller that offers twists and turns as the Cardinals lock themselves away to pick their next leader. I really don’t want to spoil anything, just know that there are many heated conversations in stairwells, hallways and cafeterias. 

While the film does go a bit off the rails, the human drama is always interesting as the Cardinals argue over tradition, liberal values, inclusion and unethical ways to gather votes. It would be too naive to think that Cardinals have never jockeyed for the Pope position, and it’s interesting watching them talk about votes and alliances while inside the Vatican. Despite their religious professions, these men are messily human (and some have lots of power) and they aren’t above bickering or worrying about past transgressions that can ruin their Pope campaign. In the middle of all this is Cardinal Thomas, who wanted to leave the church but was forced to stay and finds himself dealing with a comical amount of stress as he leads the conclave. Conclave offers a fun and fictional look into a mysterious process and manages to raise interesting questions about how the Catholic Church needs to adapt and become better.