Movie Review | Conclave

Conclave (Photo – Focus Features)

As our own election approaches, one cannot watch Conclave without sensing an added significance.

Conclave
Directed by Edward Berger – 2024
Reviewed by Garrett Rowlan

The movie is about the hustings in the Vatican following the death of a Pope and the maneuverings to elect a new one. It stars Ralph Fiennes as a reluctant manager of the event and Stanley Tucci, John Lithgow, and Sergio Castellitto as not-so-reluctant seekers of being “the most famous man in the world,” as Fiennes’ character puts it.

It’s a very watchable flick, both in terms of drama and setting. The movie’s primary pallet of rich reds and even richer black robes and its depiction of hidden malice suggests something like The Godfather meets The Name of the Rose. Conclave has atmosphere to spare. The echoing interiors and corridors of the Vatican give off hints of a murder mystery as if the Holy Pontiff’s abode is that of a shadowy ruler whose death might be followed by others.

Based on a novel by Robert Harris, the movie follows in the vein of the author’s other works: rich-blooded mixtures of research, intrigue, and important men doing consequential things. It is compelling, relevant, and well-acted, especially by Fiennes as a man thrust into a job he didn’t want, yet compelled to follow the charter of that responsibility. It leads him into some dark places: the background of men vying for the most holy of positions when they themselves, as the script tells us, are only mortal.

As are all men and women seeking office.

I saw Conclave at the Regal in Alhambra. There were less than a dozen people in attendance, but they seemed engaged, often reacting to the movie’s mixture of silky elegance and blunt truths.

> Playing at Regal Paseo, Landmark Pasadena Playhouse, IPIC Theaters, Regal Edwards Alhambra Renaissance, and AMC Atlantic Times Square 14.