Conclave review: Ralph Fiennes is imperious in this finely-scripted papal thriller

All Quiet on the Western Front director Edward Berger returns with a drama that looks set to become a major player in the awards race

Ralph Fiennes as Cardinal Lawrence in Conclave in papal attire in a crowd

Black Bear UK

★★★★☆

Conclave is in cinemas from Friday. Add it to your watchlist.

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A finely-scripted papal thriller, Conclave comes with an enormous pedigree. A best-selling novel by the esteemed author Robert Harris. A first-rate cast led by the imperious Ralph Fiennes, and ably backed by the likes of Stanley Tucci and John Lithgow. A screenwriter, Peter Straughan, who previously (gloriously) adapted Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy for the big screen. And a director in the shape of Edward Berger, the German filmmaker who helmed the 2022 Oscar-bestowed version of World War I classic All Quiet on the Western Front.

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A roll call this illustrious can sometimes fail to deliver, but Berger’s Conclave is a refined work that utilises all of its various talents. Like Nanni Moretti’s 2011 comedy-drama We Have a Pope, Conclave dives deep into the rituals and rigmarole that comes with choosing a new ambassador to God. Of course, with Munich author Harris the source, you can expect a high dose of intrigue as suspicion falls on the various candidates.

The film takes place in the cloistered confines of Domus Sanctae Marthae, and the College of Cardinals. After the passing of the current pope from an unexpected heart attack, Fiennes’s Cardinal Lawrence reluctantly oversees the oftentimes fraught process of selecting a suitable candidate to lead the Catholic Church. He firmly supports the liberal Cardinal Bellini (Tucci), whilst backing away from any notion that he would make an ideal pope. Other candidates mean that Bellini’s passage to the Vatican is far from assured.

Ralph Fiennes as Cardinal Lawrence and Stanley Tucci as Cardinal Bellini in Conclave.

Ralph Fiennes as Cardinal Lawrence and Stanley Tucci as Cardinal Bellini in Conclave. Focus Features

With the help of Suzie Davies (Saltburn), whose work as production designer – in particular the recreation of the Sistine Chapel – is exquisite, Berger almost fetishises the closeted nature of the voting, a secretive process bound up in arcane rules (think wax seals and burning the ballot papers after votes have been cast).

Brían F O'Byrne as Cardinal O'Malley and Ralph Fiennes as Cardinal Lawrence in Conclave.

Brían F O'Byrne as Cardinal O'Malley and Ralph Fiennes as Cardinal Lawrence in Conclave. Focus Features

For those outside the Catholic Church, this feels like a gateway into the film, a way of looking at a centuries-old institution and how it still clings to the past. How the Catholic Church is caught between its history and its need to modernise in the contemporary world is a large part of Conclave, and Berger doesn’t shy away from the fact the Church has been under fire and drenched in scandal, but this isn’t a takedown film like, say, the Oscar-winning Spotlight, which forensically examined the long-standing cover-ups of sexual abuse.

Isabella Rossellini stars as Sister Agnes in Conclave.

Isabella Rossellini stars as Sister Agnes in Conclave. Focus Features

Like Harris, Berger is far more interested in the notion of power and corruption, and the subterfuge that goes on in a process so shrouded in secrecy. There is also a considerable focus on women in the Catholic Church, and the lack of powerful positions made available. This comes seen through the prism of the character played by Isabella Rossellini, the all-knowing Sister Agnes.

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If Conclave doesn’t boast the same bonhomie as The Two Popes, the 2019 drama starring Anthony Hopkins and Jonathan Pryce in all their papal finery, it is still a robustly scripted effort, with Harris’s novel offering a firm platform.

Ralph Fiennes stars as Cardinal Lawrence in Conclave.

Ralph Fiennes stars as Cardinal Lawrence in Conclave. Focus Features

At its heart, Fiennes gives a typically studious turn as Lawrence, a worrisome figure beset by doubts about his own place in the Church. Tucci, meanwhile, is the perfect foil, while Lithgow is an enjoyable presence as Cardinal Tremblay, the mainstream conservative in the running for Pope. And with a script that operates like a tick-tock thriller, it even comes packed with a killer twist towards the end.

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For Catholic devotees, Conclave will fascinate, but there is more than enough appeal here for general audiences too. Shot with a love for the visual language of the Church, lit up by reds, whites and golds that signify the traditional colour scheme, Berger ensures this is a film that pays due respect to the Catholic institution, while always questioning it.

Authors

James Mottram

James Mottram is a London-based film critic, journalist, and author.

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