Conclave is the unforgiving Vatican thriller

“We are an ideal. It doesn’t mean we’re ideal.” This could be said by anyone, from a politician to a teacher, but in this case, it’s spoken by an ecclesiastical figure in Conclave, a thriller written by Peter Straughan, directed by Edward Berger, and based on the novel of the same name by Robert Harris. The director, following his international success with the previous German adaptation of All Quiet on the Western Front, transitions from the traumas of World War I to the power struggles within the closed doors of a gathering to decide who will take on the role of the new Pope. Cardinals from all over the world and only one “sede vacante” to fill. Men of faith should withdraw to decide and reflect thoughtfully on the future of the Church, yet instead behave like contestants in a beauty pageant, ready for double-dealing and gossip to outmaneuver others. While it may not be this way in real life—although, who can say for sure—in Conclave, the drama is tinged with strategies that would make the best Risk players envious, having to choose the right way to move their pieces and which alliances to forge to stay in the game. Aware that, in the end, there will be only one winner.

But war is war even in the secret halls of the Vatican, where one must decide which side to take. This is made clear by Aldo Bellini, brilliantly played by Stanley Tucci as a secondary yet pivotal character in Berger’s film, centered on the doubts and inner turmoil of a man seemingly fit to replace the deceased Pope, but hesitant in deeming himself worthy. He confides in the true fulcrum of Conclave, Cardinal Lawrence, played by Ralph Fiennes, a dean who had wanted to step down but whose resignation was rejected by His Holiness. “You’re an administrator. Administer.” These are among the Pope’s final words to his loyal aide, who is plunged into a crisis of faith just as he must oversee the election. This crisis is likely to deepen as he uncovers the intrigues and abuses hidden in the shadows of the imminent appointment of the next head of the Church, where distrust and ambition reign supreme. In this setting, “no sane person would aspire to the papacy” and “the most dangerous are those who desire it the most”. Ambition is, indeed, the “parasite of holiness,” the obstacle between the cardinals and attaining beatitude, as well as the central theme of Conclave and the germ that begins to infect the clear but pressured mind of Lawrence/Fiennes. Composed, uncompromising, and hesitant about his future within the Holy Church, yet incorruptible and steadfast in the face of the blows that the scrutiny brings, including pettiness and investigations. Balanced while everything around him erupts, a clear compass for a fragile future, which in the film is explored through discussions on tolerance, fundamentalism, openness to diversity, and the old values that veer toward reactionaryism.

While the future is uncertain, as is the dean himself who admits as much in his opening speech at the voting session—praising uncertainty as the only precept to follow to avoid falling into sin—the firm and stern hand of director Edward Berger captures the characters’ doubts and scheming glances, enhancing the sweeping scenes that add solemnity to the film. Ralph Fiennes encapsulates the qualities of the potential Pope Lawrence and steps lightly through the struggles of a protagonist who wants to abandon the robe but maintain order. Unable to pray, yet did not cease to try for the sake of forgiving his brothers—at least, until it came to vying for the papacy. With a small role for a frowning Isabella Rossellini, slight yet decisive in the story’s outcome, Conclave may not be “a beautiful testament to the Universal Church”, as one of the film’s cardinal hopes, but it is undoubtedly a tense and devout thriller that can appeal to the masses (having transitioned from a preview at the Toronto International Film Festival to the Grand Public category at the Rome Film Festival). And if for a good homily “it’s enough not to offend anyone,” the work spares no one—neither its faithful nor its skeptics.