11/09/2024 - Via a faithful adaptation of Robert Harris's 2016 novel, Edward Berger entangles himself in papal politicking in this fun but narratively very soapy thriller

Clergymen – they’re just like us. In Edward Berger’s Conclave [+see also:
trailer
interview: Red Carpet @ European Film …
film profile], the eponymous Catholic assembly of cardinals becomes the perfect breeding ground for lies and secrets, where, in an overly self-aware twist, the election of the new pope is referred to as being reminiscent of an “American political convention”. Adapting the film from Robert Harris’s 2016 novel of the same name, the German director takes us from the battlefields of World War I with his previous adapted feature, All Quiet on the Western Front [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Edward Berger
film profile], to the hallowed walls of the Vatican and deep into the heart of concocted papal politics. Conclave had its international premiere in the Special Presentations strand of the Toronto International Film Festival after enjoying its world premiere at Telluride, and before going on to screen in competition at the San Sebastián International Film Festival.

After the death of the pope, steady and honest Cardinal Lawrence (Ralph Fiennes), dean of the College of Cardinals, presides over the sequestered conclave as the vote for a new pope begins. The liberal faction divides its support between several candidates, including Lawrence’s socially progressive friend Cardinal Bellini (Stanley Tucci) and the ethically questionable Cardinal Tremblay (John Lithgow). Bellini’s rival is the hyper-conservative and Lilliputian Cardinal Tedesco (Sergio Castellitto), who brutally insults the respected Cardinal Adeyemi (Lucian Msamati) and his potential to become the first African pope. A wild card also changes up the group dynamics: Cardinal Benitez (newcomer Carlos Diehz), an introspective Mexican clergyman of the Archdiocese of Kabul, appointed by the late pope in pectore – in secret, often for reasons of safety.

Every cardinal has skeletons in his closet. The well-meaning Lawrence is plummeted deep into his greatest crisis (of faith): meddle in order to facilitate the election of the most honest and qualified new pope possible, or trust in the hand of God? To Lawrence’s dismay, the answer becomes clear. In the conclave, there really are no gods among men. The cardinals are bound to politicking and power plays, transposed onto a papal setting that’s in no way shielded from human greed. Sister Agnes (Isabella Rossellini) does her best to support a fair and just election as a God-fearing but ultimately powerless member of the Roman Curia. With great certainty, this film fails the Bechdel test, but no matter: we’re here to witness the petty, petty men.

The visual commitment of Berger and cinematographer Stéphane Fontaine to the feel of a stark political thriller stands tonally in opposition to the story’s soapy turns. From the very start, Conclave is notably marked by an extremely sharp, feverish, string-based score by Volker Bertelmann that deliberately and consciously punctuates many scenes, with a touch of impulsivity.

The German filmmaker brings into play set pieces that confront the Church’s interplay with so-called “modernity” and its technoscientific components – landline phones hastily disposed in a pile outside or the intrusive sounds of plane engines up above (sound by Ben Baird, CAS and Valentino Gianni). However, he soon abandons these elements to faithfully follow the twists of Harris’s novel, resulting in a telenovela-esque tale. Screenwriter Peter Straughan does well distinguishing the many strands of intrigue, but he thematically bites off more than he can chew, only superficially touching on a plethora of topics in rapid succession: women’s role in the Church, racism and Eurocentrism, the meaning of “tradition”, and the trade-offs of protecting fraught players in an increasingly fraught institution filled with scandals of abuse of people and power.

In Conclave, there are few thoughtful religious ramblings or deep conversations contemplating liturgical interpretation. Conversations in the conclave cafeteria feel surprisingly familiar as Straughan relies on pithy, accessible bites digestible for a chronically online audience. Berger takes the material very seriously – but frankly, Conclave is so much more blasphemously fun if you don’t.

Conclave is a US-UK co-production by New York-based FilmNation Entertainment, London-based House Productions and Santa Monica-based Indian Paintbrush. FilmNation Entertainment is also handling its international sales.