Review: Conclave

12 February, 2025 William Eguizabal 0 Comments 2 categories

Title: Conclave
MPA Rating: PG
Director: Edward Berger
Starring: Ralph Fiennes, Stanley Tucci, John Lithgow
Runtime: 2 hrs

What It Is: The Pope has died, and as tradition dictates, a new one must be chosen. Now, the Sacred College of Cardinals must convene in a conclave to select the next leader of the Church. For those unfamiliar, any Cardinal under the age of 80 is required to lock themselves inside the Sistine Chapel while they deliberate. Cardinal Lawrence (Fiennes) oversees the proceedings as these men negotiate the future direction of the Catholic Church. In the end, their decision will culminate in a vote—and a puff of white smoke.

What We Think: One wouldn’t expect a group of old Catholic men locked in a chapel to devolve into something resembling Regina George and her crew, yet here we are. The phrase “absolute power corrupts absolutely” feels incredibly relevant. Lithgow is delightfully slimy and untrustworthy, while Lucian Msamati’s Cardinal Adeyemi is a conflicted man, burdened by the traumas of his past. Then there’s Tucci and Fiennes—Tucci plays a progressive Catholic pushing for the church to adopt a modern stance on critical issues, while Fiennes’ Cardinal Lawrence is a man in the midst of a crisis of faith at the worst possible time.

All of these elements, along with some unexpected twists, throw the entire proceeding into disarray. Berger masterfully builds tension by emphasizing the ticking clock—these Cardinals need to elect a Pope, and the quicker the decision is made, the more stable they can make the church appear to the outside world.

Our Grade: A+, What a motion picture this is! Every second of screen time that Edward Berger is given, he rewards us with juicy scandal. This film is based on Robert Harris’s book of the same name, and Berger squeezes everything out of those pages. If a director’s job is to get great performances out of their actors, then Berger has certainly done that. His previous film was the remake of All Quiet on the Western Front. Here, I feel Berger yet again knocks it out of the park. Going into this, I didn’t expect to find one of my personal favorite films of 2024, but here we are. Watch this one immediately!