Conclave (2024)
Directed by: Edward Berger
Premise: Based on the novel by Robert Harris. After the death of the pope, the College of Cardinals sequester themselves to select a new Holy Father. The process reveals sins and conspiracies among the cardinals as well as political and philosophical divisions within the Catholic Church.
What Works: Conclave is primarily a political thriller. The story centers on Lawrence (Ralph Fiennes) who is the Dean of the College of Cardinals and responsible for administering the papal conclave. The task puts Lawrence at the center of overlapping conflicts among different factions in the church and he has to guide the decision-making process without unduly influencing it while also protecting the integrity of the process and preventing unworthy successors from ascending to the papacy. It’s a delicate balance and Ralph Fiennes does a great job in the role. Lawrence has interior and exterior conflicts; he becomes a potential papal candidate himself which risks corrupting the process but also flatters his own ego. This tension between selfless service and personal glory shows up around the edges of Fiennes’ performance. Lawrence’s personal conflict reflects the complexities of the larger papal conclave process. The film is partly an investigative piece with Lawrence teasing out coverups and scandals among the clergy. These detective pieces are fun but many of these side stories have a human touch. When Hollywood depicts clerical characters they tend to be caricatures but the people of Conclave have a human quality especially when their dreams of the papacy come crashing down. The various scandals also overlap with the larger real-life foibles of the Catholic Church and the film effectively dramatizes the existential questions facing the contemporary church.
What Doesn’t: Conclave includes a very late reveal about one of the key characters. This moment comes as the film is winding down but the nature of the reveal has far reaching implications, none of which are addressed. One of the central themes of Conclave is the future of the Catholic Church; it’s caught between the traditions of the past and the possibilities of the future such as the changing racial makeup of the church and philosophical differences between liberal and conservative wings. These conflicts are worked into the drama but the story ultimately sidesteps them in the end, optimistically suggesting everything will be okay. But the characters and their philosophical conflicts remain. The election of the new pope is presented as a resolution when it is really the next step in an ongoing struggle.
Bottom Line: Conclave is a smart and satisfying mix of a political thriller and a religious film. It stops short of being truly edgy or subversive but Conclave does use this administrative process to dramatize personal spiritual struggles and larger questions about the future of the church.
Episode: #1022 (November 10, 2024)