Conclave – Directed by: Edward Berger (13th Floor Film Review)

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Conclave is a Devilishly Fun Papal Thriller. Elections in 2024 have been decisive and disappointing. Globally far-right parties have surged in popularity. The last-thing you might want to do is sit through a two hour pulse pounding procedural thriller.

But the Oscar-tipped Conclave, Edward Berger’s riveting adaptation of Robert Harris’s hit 2016 novel of the same name packages the thrills and spills of an election into a masterfully acted piece of high-camp popcorn escapism. The film is about the laborious and dramatic intricacies of how a new Pope is elected, not the consequences of who steps out onto the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica.

In Conclave, the Pope has only just uttered his last breath and vultures have already begun to circle, their personal ambitions thinly veiled by an attitude of self-righteousness. A remarkable Ralph Fiennes, as Cardinal Lawrence, the dean of the College of Cardinal, must oversee the ancient and arcane ritual of electing a new pope. He’s struggling with a crisis of faith and had planned to leave his role. But now 1.4 billion Catholics await for white smoke to emerge from the copper chimney above the Sistine Chapel—a signal that a new pope has been elected by the required two-thirds majority.

The catty power-struggle at the heart of Conclave is wondrously similar to Mean Girls or Cruel Intentions. Like Conclave, these films are teeming with scheming and smearing. Exchange the locker-lined corridors of High School for the Holy Sistine Chapel. Instead of a gaggle of scheming teenagers vying for social capital, scarlet adorned cardinals in darkened corners and in hushed whispers posture for votes.

Conclave

Because of Hollywood’s penchant for films like Angels & Demons or The Vatican Tapes, a
a glimpse into the inner-workings of the Vatican is seldom-seen without the depiction of a secret secular cabal or demonic possession. Conclave has interpreted the innate drama of this mythic event and its unique machinations and eccentries with the truth in mind. The four papal contenders, Stanley Tucci, John Lithgow, Sergio Castellitto and Lucian Msamati represent the different bloques within the Catholic church. Tucci and Lithgow the progressives. Castellitto and Msamati the conservatives. Castellito’s scene-stealing viral vape hit is a wry reminder of how this ancient ritual clashes with modernity.

From the outside looking in, Conclave may appear to be a dry drama about a bunch of pompous old men stuck in a room murmuring about religion. It’s anything but. Owing to Bergers’ elegant direction, a kaleidoscope of eye-popping visuals and a whip-smart script perfect for an ensemble of acting heavyweight it’s no surprise that the film is a serious Oscar contender. Conclave is ridiculously juicy and it demands to be seen.

Thomas Giblin

Conclave opens in New Zealand cinemas January 9th. Click here for tickets and showtimes

 

Thomas Giblin
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