Conclave | 2024
Ralph Fiennes stars as Cardinal Lawrence in director Edward Berger’s CONCLAVE, a Focus Features release.
A paranoid thriller set in the cutthroat world of Vatican politics, Edward Berger's Conclave follows an intrepid cardinal named Father Lawrence (Ralph Fiennes) whose solemn duty to help select the next pope finds him ensnared in a web of lies, intrigue, and corruption as ambitious cardinals jockey to become the new head of the Catholic Church.
It may sound like a curious project for Berger, whose epic war drama All Quiet on the Western Front (2022) was a big success for Netflix and won four Academy Awards, including Best International Film. In contrast, Conclave is a somber chamber drama, but it also represents a marked step up for Berger, whose Western Front was a technical marvel whose infatuation with its wartime setting steamrolled over some of the thematic subtleties of the novel and the original Oscar-winning 1930 film.
Conclave may appear stuffy on the surface, but it's just weird enough to be interesting. It's a pulpy thriller with the sumptuous sheen of Oscar bait, and it's clear that Berger is having a blast with Catholic priests scheming and plotting to become pope with the verve of a bunch of shady drag queens vying to become America's next drag superstar. Fiennes is excellent in the lead role and is matched by a terrific ensemble that includes Stanley Tucci, Isabella Rossellini, and John Lithgow. Berger deftly navigates the swiftly mounting tension within the confines of the Sistine Chapel's hallowed halls.
Berger does not lose sight of the irony of men claiming to be God's representatives on earth resorting to such unscrupulous tactics to gain power. In fact, this is especially timely as the cardinals grapple with choosing the lesser of two evils. Their constant compromises to keep the worst options out of power ultimately compromise their own souls. It takes undeniably bonkers turns, and its wonderfully idiosyncratic characterizations elevate what could have otherwise been a fairly rote prestige thriller.
