Conclave (12A)

Cardinal Thomas Lawrence is summoned to the Vatican City to confirm the death of the Pope from a heart attack. As Dean of the College of Cardinals, Lawrence will oversee the conclave in the sanctity of the Sistine Chapel. Lawrence's good friend Cardinal Aldo Bellini harbours resignations about running but he is determined to prevent bombastic Italian rival Cardinal Goffredo Tedesco from leading the Catholic Church.

LondonNet Film Review

Conclave (12A) Film Review from LondonNet

Tradition is a cornerstone of the Catholic Church, especially with the election of a new figurehead. When the pope dies, rules dating back to the 13th century stipulate cardinals must gather in seclusion and cast secret ballots to name a successor. The Sistine Chapel in the Vatican City has hosted these conclaves since 1492 beneath the gaze of renaissance painter Michelangelo’s fresco, The Last Judgment, with a small chimney on the roof that spews white smoke to indicate when one candidate has secured more than two thirds of the cardinals’ votes…

Oscar-winning German director Edward Berger masterminds a riveting thriller that milks every droplet of tension from the papal election, emboldened by a masterful central performance from Ralph Fiennes as the cardinal overseeing the ritual. The Suffolk-born actor has twice been nominated for an Oscar, for Schindler’s List and The English Patient, but never won. Berger’s picture should finally earn him a coveted golden statuette. Fiennes’s quietly understated yet emotionally devastating portrayal of a man of God who turns detective as the pivotal vote unfolds is an embarrassment of riches, fuelled by eloquent wordplay that drips off the tongue like honey.

“We are mortal men. We serve an ideal. We cannot always be ideal,” he sermonises – with good reason. Sparkling support includes Isabella Rossellini, making a ferocious impact with less than eight minutes of screen time as the head nun responsible for ensuring cardinals are nourished and comfortably accommodated throughout their deliberations. Her inside knowledge is true power.

Cardinal Thomas Lawrence (Fiennes) is summoned to the Vatican City to confirm the death of the Pope (Bruno Novelli) from a heart attack. As Dean of the College of Cardinals, Lawrence will oversee the conclave in the sanctity of the Sistine Chapel. Lawrence’s good friend Cardinal Aldo Bellini (Stanley Tucci) harbours resignations about running (“No sane man would want the papacy”) but he is determined to prevent bombastic Italian rival Cardinal Goffredo Tedesco (Sergio Castellitto) from leading the Catholic Church.

Cardinals Joseph Tremblay (John Lithgow) and Joshua Adeyemi (Lucian Msamati) also arrive to campaign for the highest honour. As tensions rise, head nun Sister Agnes (Rossellini) closely scrutinises proceedings and Lawrence’s trusted assistant Monsignor Raymond O’Malley (Brian F O’Byrne) uncovers troubling evidence that could change the outcome of the election.

Adapted from Robert Harris’s novel by screenwriter Peter Straughan, Conclave prowls grandiose corridors of power with knuckle-whitening intent. Cinematographer Stephane Fontaine conjures striking tableaux like an overhead shot of hundreds of cardinals dressed in red and white robes moving en masse through the rain, faces obscured by matching umbrellas. Berger’s vice-like grip never slackens, making light work of a 120-minute running time replete with a last-gasp solemn ratification that audiences unfamiliar with Harris’s book won’t see coming.

– Sarah Lee