Conclave (TIFF) Review

Conclave is a riveting thriller that should wind up one of the year’s big Oscar contenders.

PLOT: When the reigning pope unexpectedly dies, Cardinal Lawrence (Ralph Fiennes) must assemble the College of Cardinals to elect a new pope during a Conclave that grows increasingly bitter and deceitful. 

REVIEW: Back at TIFF 2022, one of the festival’s biggest surprises was director Edward Berger’s powerhouse new take on the classic WWI story, All Quiet on the Western Front. It was a movie that no one expected much from, but it won Best Foreign Film at the Oscars and was a major Best Picture contender up to the eleventh hour. It marked Berger as a prominent director, and now he’s back at TIFF with another stunning drama, Conclave.

Based on the novel by Robert Harris (“Fatherland”, “The Fear Index”, etc.), what could have been a dry, talky drama becomes a riveting piece of work in Berger’s hands. While working from admittedly solid material, Berger expertly (and muscularly) directs one of the year’s best casts in a movie that – metaphorically – is more timely than ever in this election year. 

Indeed, with over 1.39 billion Catholics worldwide, a position as pope would make the man elected perhaps the most famous and influential person on earth. In Conclave, the Vatican is being torn apart by an incredibly bitter battle between traditional clergy and a more liberal wing, which included the deceased pope, whose lifelong mission was to modernize the church. Fiennes’s Cardinal Lawrence is shown to be in the midst of a crisis of faith, with him even seeking to leave his position, only to be denied by the pope, who knew he was the only Cardinal crafty (and selfless) enough to make sure the wrong man doesn’t get elected pontiff. 

The film centers around four central cardinals with a strong chance of being elected. On the more liberal side, there’s Stanley Tucci’s Bellini, who seems the most worthy candidate but lacks the killer instinct of John Lithgow’s Tremblay, a Canadian cardinal who, while vaguely liberal, isn’t above using dirty tricks to get his way. On the more conservative side is Lucian Msamati’s Adeyemi, who would be the first black pope and would be a good candidate were it not for the fact that he’s a raging homophobe. Finally, there’s Sergio Castellitto’s xenophobic Tedesco, who wants to undo all modernization within the church and take a step backward in time.

The liberal Lawrence is shown to be divided between his wish to see Bellini get elected and the fact that he emerges as a dark horse candidate at the eleventh hour. Fiennes delivers an incredible performance as the sharp-witted Lawrence, who has to become something of a detective amid his duties, with his performance bringing to mind Sean Connery in the classic In the Name of the Rose. Fiennes expertly depicts Lawrence’s humanity and increasing disillusionment with some of his fellow men of God.

Everyone is expertly cast, with Tucci striking as the liberal Bellini who isn’t without his Machiavellian side. While playing a character with repugnant views, Msamati as Adeyemi also has moments that allow him to come across as somewhat sympathetic, as opposed to Castellitto’s Tedesco, who is depicted as a nightmarish candidate. Then there’s John Lithgow, as the seemingly pious Tremblay who goes on to show his ruthless ambitious as the film bolts towards its fantastic final act. Carlos Diehz also makes a big impression as Benitez, the Cardinal of Kabul, whose arrival is met with suspicion but strikes an almost Christ-like figure. 

While undeniably talky, every line of dialogue is potent, and Conclave is anything but boring. Berger keeps the movie tense and does a remarkable job depicting how cut off the conclave has to be, even when it’s suggested that terrorists might attack Rome.

One of Berger’s critical collaborators on All Quiet on the Western Front, Volker Bertelmann, returns for Conclave, contributing another evocative score, albeit one done differently from his memorable electronic work that film. I fully expect this to wind up with a Best Original Score nomination. While Conclave probably doesn’t sound like an ultra commercial movie, I think it might surprise people when Focus puts it out in theatres, as it’s phenomenally entertaining and has a knockout ending that should generate a lot of talk. It’s one to watch for and seems like an Oscar contender.