Conclave: A Catholic Conundrum 

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Oscar season has arrived. Now’s the time of year when all the major studios release the films deemed most worthy of awards buzz. Case in point; the recent release of Conclave which stars an array of big name acting talents including Ralph Fiennes (two time Oscar nominee), John Lithgow (another two time nominee), Isabella Rossellini (the only female with a speaking role in this male only conclave), and perennial favorite & social media cooking instructor Stanley Tucci (Oscar nominee for 2010’s The Lovely Bones).

Conclave was directed by German born filmmaker Edward Berger whose previous film, the haunting 2022 remake of the classic World War I flick All Quiet on the Western Front, took home Best International Feature at last year’s Oscar ceremony. Conclave was cowritten by Peter Straughan and Robert Harris. It’s based on Harris’ 2016 novel of the same title which takes place over 72 hours in the Vatican. Harris is a popular English novelist and former journalist known for books such as Fatherland (1992), Pompeii (2003), and Munich (2017). 

For those unfamiliar with the term a conclave is a Roman Catholic Church ritual assembly which is called into order shortly following the death of a sitting Pope. Cardinals from around the world gather together in the privacy of the Vatican to elect a new pope. The process is shrouded in mystery and conducted under the guise of utmost secrecy as the assembly of religious leaders meet in the papal conclave in order to choose the church’s next leader and thus set the tone for Catholic worshippers worldwide.  

Even though Conclave has been classified as a thriller don’t be mistaken; this movie isn’t a typical whodunnit with a mysterious murderer running a foul in the hallowed halls of the Vatican. Given all the drama and intrigue viewers inherent in the genre viewers might be expecting Robert Langdon to suddenly appear out of nowhere at any given moment, but Conclave isn’t a film for those yearning to enjoy the next Dan Brown thriller. The violence (or sins) committed by those gathered in the conclave don’t involve physical altercations but rather are of a more insidious nature involving behavior such as lying and cheating as past lapses in judgement and reckless indiscretions are revealed and long buried secrets become unearthed. Power in the conclave is a commodity where the cardinals bargain and engage in sly deal making as opposed to relying on religious devoutness or ideology as a basis for their picking the next leader of the Catholic Church. Although from the outside the process is dominated by formality, pomp, and circumstance the actual business conducted in the papal conclave is chock full of backstabbing, deceit, and political intrigue. 

The fissures in the conclave serve to reflect the ideological chasms churning in the modern Catholic Church. Aspects of overt and systematic racism and misogyny rear their ugly heads time & time again as more progressive and liberal church leaders (such as Stanley Tucci’s Aldo Cardinal Bellini) strive for a more inclusive church while the more traditional cardinals such as Goffredo Cardinal Tedesco (played by Sergio Castellitto) strive to maintain the dated and non progressive aspects of religious dogma such as advocating for the return of Latin in the liturgy and insisting that the next pope be Italian rather than the odds-on favorite Joshua Cardinal Adeyemi (played by Lucian Msamati) a popular Nigerian candidate. 

One of the main themes of Conclave is the loss of faith. Early on when it’s revealed that the recently deceased Pope was struggling with religious doubts it is made clear that his uncertainty wasn’t concerning the existence of God but rather more about the inner workings of the Catholic church as an institution. The film emphasizes the fact that religious ideology is subject to interpretation or misinterpretation by fallible human beings with their own prejudices and personal reading of scripture. Fiennes’ character Thomas Cardinal Lawrence, the Dean of the College of Cardinals, even quotes Christ’s words from the cross, “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” in order to highlight the fact that doubt has always been an issue for believers even in Biblical times. Although set in a religious milieu Conclave actually serves as a microcosm in which to explore more universal problems facing our modern world including an increasing lack of faith in our fellow human beings and the institutions we’ve created. Amidst a world brimming with pain, strife, hunger, and cruelty it’s easy to see why doubt and loss of faith have become more the norm than the exception. 

The only disappointing aspect of Conclave involves Isabella Rossellini’s character Sister Agnes the conclave’s head caterer and housekeeper. Her performance is sparse and her talents are largely wasted and/or overlooked; all elements which are also true of the Catholic Church’s treatment of women. Throughout the film we witness the male cardinals living a life of luxury, smoking, drinking fine wine, wearing tailored top of the line clothing, and eating fine meals personally cooked and served to them by an array of obedient nuns. While the male leaders who rule over the church and implement its teachings live a life of luxury the nuns toil away in the background, busily cleaning, cooking, and serving at the whim of their male counterparts. Like the Catholic Church itself Conclave illustrates the disparity between the stoic plain lives of the nuns which is dictated by hard work, austerity and charity and the opulent lives enjoyed by cardinals of the wealthy church. The women’s work and spiritual contributions is not only undervalued but largely overlooked or took for granted.   

Conclave is a beautiful looking film in which the director makes optimum use of cinematography and stylistic elements such as the tonal contrast of light and shadow, color, camera movement, costumes, and set decoration. Since the entire film takes place in one location it might be easy to assume that it would have a claustrophobic feel about it but given that the central locale is as grandiose, ornate, and steeped in history and cultural significance as the Vatican the space feels spacious, ordered and pristine.

In the end even amidst all the doubt and political infighting Conclave leaves viewers with  a refreshing yet tenuous sense of hope. We are left to ponder how perhaps it’s possible for both individuals and institutions alike to be propelled (albeit at times kicking and screaming) to change and evolve in both thought and practise. As believers often like to say, God works in mysterious ways. 

Conclave is in theatres now.