Conclave: a riveting movie that transforms a papal election into a locked-room thriller

Conclave. Photo: Supplied / Courtesy of Focus Features

3 Mar 2025

With a stacked cast operating at their peak and led by an awards-worthy performance from Ralph Fiennes, this simple but attention-grabbing thriller from Edgar Bergen mixes nailbiting political intrigue and timely religious debate to give us one the best films released in 2024, as shown by its eight Oscar nominations.

There is a misconception that stories have to be complex to be compelling. However, so many of the greatest tales are simple in their construction. The secret though, is in the telling.

Conclave, director Edward Bergen and screenwriter Peter Straughan’s adaptation of Robert Harris’ 2015 novel could not get simpler in its premise: The Pope has died, and a replacement needs to be elected behind the closed doors of a papal conclave in the Vatican.

That is essentially it.

And yet, what on paper looks like humdrum Catholic administrative liturgy turns into a nail-biting locked room (literally) mystery thriller that will have audiences riveted for two hours.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JX9jasdi3ic

Ralph Fiennes leads the cast as Thomas Lawrence, a confidant of the late Pope and the British Cardinal-Dean responsible for arranging and managing the election process.

Among the hastily assembled College of Cardinals, four stand out as frontrunners to assume the mantle of head of the Catholic Church worldwide: American Cardinal Aldo Bellini (Stanley Tucci), Lawrence’s friend and a fellow liberal who follows in the progressive footsteps of the late Pope; Cardinal Goffredo Tedesco (Sergio Castellitto), a fiery Italian traditionalist hardliner who wants to drag the church back to old ways; Cardinal Joseph Tremblay (John Lithgow), a Canadian moderate; and Cardinal Joshua Adeyemi (Lucian Msamati), a popular Nigerian candidate, despite his socially conservative views.

Under the stewardship of head housekeeper Sister Agnes (Isabella Rossellini), the Cardinals are sequestered for the conclave — cut off from the influences of the outside world — but not before a surprise arrival: Archbishop Vincent Benitez (Carlos Diehz) is a stranger to everybody assembled as he had been secretly named as Cardinal by the pope a year earlier due to the hostile nature of his station in Kabul, Afghanistan.

With all in attendance, the voting, and thus the drama, can begin.

A scene from Conclave. Photo: Supplied / Courtesy of Focus Features

As the politicking for votes ensues, rumours start to swirl about potentially devastating personal secrets for the various candidates. This prompts a reluctant Lawrence, who had been going through a major crisis of faith prior to the Pope’s death, to investigate these claims with explosive and unexpected results.

While bringing these revelations to light, the entire cast of on-screen veterans is on peak form here. Their magnetic thespian efforts and Bergen’s insightful directing choices, along with an evocative score from Oscar-winning composer Volker Bertelmann, combine to keep you on the edge of your seat, despite most of the movie being nothing but scenes of people talking.

The German filmmaker is no stranger to masterfully ratcheting up tension with human drama, though, as was abundantly evident when he took home the Oscar for Best Foreign Film thanks to his 2022 WW1 drama All Quiet on the Western Front (for which Bertelmann also won his aforementioned Oscar).

Along with the tense political thriller aspect of Conclave, the film also plays out as a fascinating peek behind the theological curtain, meticulously showcasing the many traditions and arcana of the papal election process that most outsiders would be unfamiliar with. It’s a testament to Bergen and co. for how engrossing they make both aspects.

Ralph Fiennes and Brían F O'Byrne in Conclave. (Photo: Supplied / Courtesy of Focus Features)

Ralph Fiennes and Stanley Tucci in Conclave. (Photo: Supplied / Courtesy of Focus Features)

But it’s not just nerve-wracking verbal standoffs and geeky minutiae.

A large part of Conclave’s narrative meat and bones is its timely and relevant messaging. Organised religion — in particular, Catholicism — is in a battle for relevance in modern times. As social norms have evolved, so too comes the argument of whether the Church should evolve with them, and by how much, before it sacrifices what it stands for.

All sides of this debate are presented here, but it’s Fiennes’ Cardinal Lawrence who carries the lion’s share of presenting this dichotomy. And, simply put, he towers above everybody else, with an incredible showing as a man forced into a position he does not want to be in, appealing to those he doesn’t always agree with.

A rousing, passionate speech given by Lawrence upon the commencement of the conclave, about the role of the Church and its leadership, is sure to be quoted by many who see it. And this reviewer wouldn’t be surprised to see Fiennes give another speech when accepting Oscar gold later this year for his spectacular work here.

In fact, there are several aspects of Conclave that deserve award recognition, most visibly the pitch-perfect production design — including a fastidious recreation of the Sistine Chapel — all of which is framed and shot beautifully by Bergen and acclaimed French cinematographer Stéphane Fontaine.

If you’re a fan/student of such traditional filmmaking techniques and riveting performances, and you’re looking for a break from CG-filled pixel-puke blockbusters, Conclave should be high on your list of movies to see.

It may have been released last year, but it’s currently a very early frontrunner for the best thing this reviewer has watched in 2025. The film had a very limited run in cinemas since its release, so you had better hurry before it gets removed. It would be a cardinal sin to miss it. DM

Conclave. Photo: Supplied / Courtesy of Focus Features

This article was first published by PFangirl.

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