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Conclave (2024) - Film Review

Writer's picture: christophermizerakchristophermizerak

Continuing to catch up on this year's Best Picture Oscar nominees, we come to a film I almost saw in theaters. However, due to October being a far more difficult month than it should've been, I had to settle on seeing it now after the fact. And despite the understandable need to divorce myself from anything religious or political for the time being, "Conclave" did indeed reward me for persevering anyways. If you have an open mindset to it, "Conclave" is actually a solid political drama highlighting the stress of coming to an agreeable consensus.


Ralph Fiennes plays Thomas Lawrence, a cardinal, aka senior church member, who is tasked with organizing the titular gathering of fellow cardinals throughout the world after the passing of the Pope. The unified objective is to find a new Pope worthy of carrying on the work of their predecessor. Lawrence's mission proves challenging when underlying scandals of prospective candidates come to light. With colleagues advising him to turn a blind eye to keep the chances of other candidates intact, he must decide how to best proceed for the church.


I'll confess that "Conclave" at first starts off a little slow. I admittedly was worried about this film potentially being inaccessible to non-religious viewers such as myself. But as soon as the political drama picks up after the first voting session they have, that's when the film truly begins taking off. With our lead continuously being put in a position he feels unsuited for and having to try to correct course, "Conclave" is at its best when focused on the dynamic between Fiennes and the other prospects he interacts with.


Everyone has hidden motivations and suspicious behavior. John Lithgow's character sees contrasting layers to his overall arc. Stanley Tucci is committed to continue pulling our lead's strings to get what he and other fellow cardinals want. Isabella Rossellini as a nun who has become a witness to actions that are unbecoming of the church does her due diligence in telling it like it is. There's also Lucian Msamati and Carlos Diehz in critical supporting roles that have the best plot twists and developments in the whole film.


There's also striking photography within the Vatican with visually potent angles and shots. Composer Volker Bertelmann throws in some nice background music into the mix. If you don't know much about religion or politics like me, I can't say this film will win you over with participating in either field. It's not like "12 Angry Men" where you get a clear understanding as to how this field should work. At the very least though, there's a solid and engaging drama here that will be waiting for those who devote their time to it.


Final Verdict: 7.5/10

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