I’m gonna be honest with you: i’m a real fan of movies that are set in the vatican or about priests/religious people questioning their faith. needless to say, this was a no-brainer to watch. The vatican finds itself at the loss of its figurehead, the pope. with the throne now vacant, the college of cardinals must gather to elect a new pope. the late popes close friend cardinal lawrence, played by ralph fiennes, is tasked with overseeing and executing the process. an ungrateful job as he quickly finds out, once he starts investigating the top candidates one by one.
two hours of religious men in silky red-and-white gowns being in conflict with themselves, each other and the future of the catholic church. the whole college of cardinals is seperated into various small fractions, each divided by language, ethnicity and their beliefs. a much more subtle division takes place when you seperate those who seek power from those who don’t. much to cardinal lawrences frustration, he belongs to the latter and finds himself a minority. the following days of the conclave will determine the fate of the church and as a man of faith, he sets it upon himself to ensure that the most worthy candidate will be elected.
the brilliant cast consists of actors such as stanley tucci, john lithgow, lucian msamati and sergio castellitto. all of them portray men with different ideals and ambitions. all of them are hiding something. all of them are unfit in their own way- but someone has to be elected. things are shaken up when a new name, a new mexican cardinal joins the college and slowly starts to influence and sway the people around him. i don’t want to give too much away, but whenever the newly appointed cardinal benitez talks, you better sit down and listen.
conclave is peaking everytime ralph fiennes character talks. the words pour out of his mouth in such soothing, moving and elegant ways, many can only dream of. no, i have not fallen in love with cardinal lawrence. okay, maybe a little bit. the movies downside however, is everything besides that. while that may sound harsh, that’s not the way i mean it, as ralph fiennes talking makes up about 70% of the movie. is it, that his performance overshadows everything? up until now i am not entirely certain.
from the cinematography to the soundtrack and the costumes, i was a huge fan. the ending soured my experience, as i feel underwhelmed with what conclave left me with. it is not per se bad or agenda-driven, but just straight up unneccessary, as it comes out of nowhere and doesn’t change a thing. overall though, it is a worthy recommendation and an entertaining watch for everyone interested in church-centred stories.