Thanks Edward Berger! The director of the international sensation All Quiet on the Western front chose as his follow-up film one of the great movie premises of all time, at least to me: what happens when the Pope dies and a new pope has to get elected? The secretive papacy conclave always felt like one of the juiciest places to tell a story. Thankfully, Berger delivers on that enticing premise, doing Eurotrip WAY better with its take on what happens behind those closed doors.
The Conclave starts as this movie does, when the pope dies. Cardinal Lawrence (Ralph Fiennes) finds out he’s in charge of the election as his eminency’s dying wish, reluctantly agreeing to do so. Lawrence has to be the arbiter between various other Cardinals vying for the papacy, including his friend and current frontrunner Cardinal Bellini (Stanley Tucci), the quietly power hungry Cardinal Tremblay (John Lithgow), loud and loved Cardinal Adeyemi (Lucian Msmati) and the ultra conservative Cardinal Tedesco (Sergio Castellitto). In addition, there’s a quiet but clued in Sister Agnes (Isabella Rossellini) and an unknown Cardinal Benitez (Carlos Diehz), who shows up last minute to participate. What does the electoral map project will happen? Only God knows.
Berger and the Robert Harris novel take Conclave not down a road of political machination and intrigue, but instead a more pulpy, fun route. The movie has more in common with an investigative journalism thriller than it does a movie about getting elected. Cardinal Lawrence plays overseer and information zealot in tandem, making sure this process is running smoothly and making sure all information gets out when it’s supposed to get out. It’s a nightmare of decisions and choices for him, quietly delivering messages to some Cardinals, loudly calling others out when the situation demands it. In addition, Berger further uneases the situation by having very emotionally charged protests going on outside than can be heard but not seen, threatening to intrude on the voting process and influence who gets elected. Berger expertly mixes in the daily routine of casting a vote, then some new info comes to light, then it gets dealt with, and bam, another vote, to keep Conclave churning and exciting to the very end.
Even though our Cardinals and Sisters do not really spend a lot of time trying to get elected, we still get interesting portrayals of what happens when beliefs come into contact with power. As each person gets close to the crown, we all, including everyone in the room, wonder if they’re just going to succumb to the lust for power, despite their noble intentions to pursue the religious mantle. Everyone: Tucci, Msmati, Castellitto, Lithgow, Rossellini and Diehz all get at least one speech, or great moment to shine here, standing in for various types of elected officials and their supporters, either on the way to victory, or brutally cast aside in defeat. And holding it all together is the great Ralph Fiennes. This is among the great performances of his career, crafting a fascinating Cardinal Lawrence, at constant struggle with his duties and his motivations and unsure which is driving him in each situation. A Conclave is only as successful as its leader; Cardinal Lawrence may not be the best candidate for pope, but he certainly is humanely suited to run this complex, very human process.
Even if the big final reveal is one swing too many, Conclave still more than delivers a great tale for movie audiences everywhere. I feel completely justified with my assertion that the pope election would make a great film, cause I just saw one. Now, let’s try my other big movie premise next, ignoring Richard Curtis’s Yesterday EXCEPT for it’s premise and really trying something interesting with a world where only 1 man knows who The Beatles are. The Liverpool boys trump religious elections any day in my book.