Poster Description: Cardinal Lawrence (Ralph Fiennes) stands in the centre of a black crucifix, dressed in a black robe with a red hat and sash tied at his waist. The film’s title is written in white along the horizontal section of the cross. A rising sun shines on the Vatican behind him.
Like
a lot of the award-winning films, I did not have Conclave on my watch list. My
knowledge of selecting a new Pope consisted of the book and film adaptation of
Angels and Demons, and that was enough for this agnostic.
Until
the actual Pope passed away. And then, a new Pope was elected within a few
weeks, and Conclave appeared on Amazon Prime. Ah, well. What had I got to lose?
Even if a friend had told me nothing happened for two hours, I only had one way
to find out for myself.
In
the wake of the Pope’s death, Cardinal Lawrence (Ralph Fiennes, The King’s Man)
leads the Conclave. Though it is an ancient, secret event, it isn’t long before
all kinds of back-biting and conspiracies come out of the shadows.
Directed
by Edward Berger, it’s no surprise to fans of his adaptation of All Quiet on
the Western Front that Conclave is an introspective film. The film is based on
the book by Robert Harris, inspired by the Roman Senate and input from a
Cardinal. On the one hand, the wide shots of multiple Cardinals beneath
umbrellas or within their building give off a sense of awe and grandiose
spectacle. They’re voting in the head of the Catholic Church, after all. On the
other hand, the shots of old men in their little red hats eating lunch in the
cafeteria are somewhat absurd. It’s pointed out that the Cardinals have
segmented themselves according to their language – the English sitting with
English speakers, the Spaniards eating soup with fellow Spaniards – which renders
the whole event like some kind of school clique system.
Nevertheless,
Fiennes gives a softly intense performance. Though affable enough, it’s clear
Lawrence is a guy who just wants to get the job done, and he sure as heck
doesn’t want to get voted in as the Pope! When Lawrence consoles and confronts
the Cardinals, you never know how those conversations will end. Those
frustrated exclamations of his caught me off guard every time, and you really
start to feel the weight of the responsibility – less so on the vote and more
on keeping the Cardinals in line, rooting out the passive aggression going on.
These old men gossip and throw their egos about. Again, it’s scarily absurd
when you’ve finished watching, but Volker Bertlemann’s score lures you in with
all the suspense.
John
Lithgow (Killers of the Flower Moon) is something of an antagonist within the film,
being the prime suspect in many instances of meddling. Isabella Rossellini (Death Becomes Her) quietly shines as the dignified Sister Agatha. The
nuns are supposed to be “invisible,” but her confession exposes two Cardinal’s
shortcomings, and she simply…leaves afterwards. Brilliant.
In
conclusion, I disagree that nothing happens in Conclave.
It’s over two hours long, but the pace is brisk until the plot calls for it to
slow down. Then, the tension leaves you wondering what will happen next. It’s
an intimate insight into an ancient and traditional event, revealing its messy
human wonder and absurdity.
The Rating: 4 STARS OUT OF 5
My
Sources:
Conclave
poster - https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/974576-conclave/images/posters
Ralph
Fiennes’ filmography - https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000146/?ref_=tt_ov_3_1
Edward
Berger’s filmography - https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0074163/?ref_=tt_ov_1_1
Who wrote Conclave?
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conclave_(novel)
Conclave’s composer - https://focusfeatures.com/article/conclave_interview_volker-bertelmann
John Lithgow’s filmography - https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001475/?ref_=fn_all_nme_1
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