Conclave

 

This review may contain spoilers!

Conclave is an adaptation of the Robert Harris novel of the same name and follows the conclave that transpires after the death of a Pope. This is framed as a political/religious thriller with the cardinals vying for what is a position of power, while Cardinal Lawrence attempts to solve the skeletons that are starting to tumble out of closets.

I love a good thriller script that leaves you guessing. There are significant points in this film where I wondered if it might turn into a murder mystery. However, the tale being told here is far more complex and engaging than the mystery of a dead man. Rather, this is a collection of cardinals who hold great ambition for the papacy, but many of them are trying to hold back secrets that would prevent them from getting voted in. The deceased Pope had a selected head of the Conclave, which falls to Cardinal Lawrence. Lawrence is a very steady and calm man, not outspoken but with a clear moral code and as an audience, we learn to trust him early on. It's really interesting to see Lawrence take it upon himself to ensure the best possible man to be Pope is selected, even compromising some of his values as the film forges on to do so. It's a film that raises the moral question of who deserves to be Pope and how can we be assured political ambition isn't the driving motivation behind this seat. Conclave handles a flow of narrative twists and turns extremely well, offering some great surprises and suspenseful scenes. I even reached a point where I lost trust in Lawrence, which shows the layers this thing brought to the screen. This is a whirling thriller that leaves you unsure who is right, and hoping that Lawrence is a man we can put our trust in. The pursuit of that outcome was great, the runtime of this feature just flew by.

Edward Berger really is one of those grand directors, he is becoming the sort of name I would be looking out for in a cinematic release. The visual style of Conclave is so reverent of the majesty of these deep-seated religious spaces, while also capturing the mundanity of them. That human element that permeates it with cigarette smoke, the latest iPads and designer suitcases. The intense close-ups and mid-shots peppered throughout to drum up the suspense and mystery are very effective. the score used throughout is swift and flitters through, it evokes grandeur in the right moments and inner anxieties in others.

Lucian Msamati, who played Adeyemi, is a real powerhouse in this; Msamati is one of the charismatic greats but has an enormous scene in which he has to capture loss so beautifully. Stanley Tucci, who played Bellini, is a very resolute figure who consistently sticks by his principles; I like that Tucci is so outspoken in this while also simultaneously proving to not be the fighter everyone wishes him to be. John Lithgow, who played Tremblay, is quite a gentle figure for someone so suspicious; I loved how Lithgow played his whole world dropping out from under him later in the film. Thomas Loibl, who played Mandorff, is a more quiet and restrained role but he stood out to me; an aide figure to Fiennes who is at the centre of delivering information that incites the mystery. Isabella Rossellini, who played Sister Agnes, is a very mysterious and distrusting character; her big scene of support for Fiennes in front of the other cardinals is a favourite of mine. Sergio Castellitto, who played Tedesco, is quite an amusing character for such a despicable figure; Castellitto balances moments of charisma with moments of belligerent narcissism. Carlos Diehz, who played Benitez, is a very goodly character that stands for principles many of the other roles fail to employ; Diehz really makes a role that feels humble and sincerely likeable.

However, the best performance came from Ralph Fiennes, who played Lawrence. This is one of those great awards-worthy leading roles. It is a masterclass in what an actor brings to a film when they understand the script and know how to enrich it. Fiennes has always been a master of the craft and this demonstrates that more than most. Lawrence is a calm and balanced figure at first, fraught with his grief over the death of the Pope. Yet Fiennes lends duty to him well, crafting a stalwart figure determined to oversee a worthy conclave. There are scenes of passion where he allows Lawrence to speak from his heart, to earnestly pursue his morals that I adored. Yet what I most found interesting was his frantic descent into achieving what is 'right'; discovering the right man for the papacy. Fiennes takes Lawrence down a wild, and stressful investigation that leaves the viewer questioning his place in all this. There were even times I questioned Lawrence and his ambitions. To evoke a character with that level of complexity is unparalleled, and I sincerely applaud Ralph Fiennes for achieving it.

I do wonder if the last twist delivered in the final act was necessary. It is an important topic that almost trivialises the ending more than it needed to. I would have loved a film that discussed this issue but to give discussion to a small scene at the end with only a little set-up felt undeserving and clouded the conclusion for the film. Conclave just wanted to point out one last time that all these characters carried secrets, but I am not convinced evoking this big of a topic right as the curtain was closing was the appropriate move. I also felt this film lost its grounding in the religious setting at times, even pushing the boundaries of realism around what this Catholic space might look like. It held the aesthetic in places, but I often found myself wondering if it lost sight of the Catholic bearing the film was rooted in.

The editing for this film could really have been tighter, it often lingered a bit too long on a shot and while the script moved at a captivating pace the cutting didn't always match up.

Jacek Koman, who played Wozniak, portrays a very simple and over-the-top form of grief; Koman's role is a desperate figure of intrigue but he fails to excite or engage the audience.

This film really had so many engaging twists and turns, all led by the incomparable Ralph Fiennes. I would give Conclave an 8/10.