A film like Conclave arriving as a wide theatrical release in October is something of a miracle these days. Mid-budget dramas are increasingly rare outside of awards season. And while one can view this as an early entry into awards season, it still is notable that Conclave is getting to stand alone alongside a comic book film.
But perhaps that is the prestige director Edward Berger earned after his excellent and award-winning take on All Quiet on the Western Front just a few years ago. He found a way to breathe new life into a decades-old novel about WW1, a war dwarfed in cinematic terms by films that deal with WW2. Perhaps Berger could bring the same kind of attention to a film about the behind-the-scenes process of selecting a new Pope.
Indeed, Berger brought his immaculate direction and attention to sound to bear in Conclave. While far different from a war film, Berger’s skill behind the camera is still apparent. His direction is riveting, using the close confines of the Papal Conclave in the Vatican to deliver a multitude of memorable shots. He also punctuates scenes with sound, using it to propel drama and increase a sense of tension, and working in silence in appropriate moments to further build out the film. Add in the set design and costuming, and Conclave distinguishes itself as a very rich work.
While all of the technical aspects of filmmaking are used well, it might be all for naught without a script and set of performances that make you think what you’re watching is worth it. Ralph Fiennes delivers one of his career best performances (which is saying something for a career as illustrious as his) as Cardinal Lawrence, Dean of the College of Cardinals and the one in charge of leading the conclave. He is an excellent protagonist, with the film working in his personal arc of a struggle of faith in a natural and seamless way.
It is Conclave‘s maturity that makes it so refreshing. The political intrigues of the film, featuring various papal candidates all with differing views on the direction of the Roman Catholic Church and working in various scandals throughout the runtime, may lend itself to the film becoming too melodramatic or even derogatory in its approach to the Catholic Church. But the script manages to situation all of the plot goings-on in a mature, thoughtful approach to faith and church leadership. Each character, from Stanley Tucci‘s liberal Benetti to John Lithgow‘s conservative Tremblay, are given opportunities to both shine as faithful beacons of God and are also shown to fall short in aspects. It is a film that takes faith seriously and takes an actual theological stand on issues of importance to people of faith.
One of the film’s shining moments is an early monologue from Fiennes’s Lawrence. This speech reflects a complex and mature understanding of the nature of faith, and also serves as a groundwork for the events of the film to come. That the movie makes one of its central tensions the idea that all people are sinners operating in a world touched by God’s grace is fascinating, especially when compared to the typical “Christian” film that is released.
Conclave is not a perfect work, and that is perhaps fitting. A few plot points do tend towards too much melodrama, especially as the film enters its third act. Berger’s decisions to cut towards certain plot points feel rushed at times, as though chunks of good storytelling are missing. There is also the controversial ending. This review will avoid spoilers, commenting only that the nature of the ending seems to use controversy for the sake of controversy, and not necessarily as a reasoned follow-through on the earlier themes of the film. To say that the ending doesn’t bring in the film’s themes would be untrue, but it doesn’t seem like the best way of going about it.
Regardless of the ending, much of Conclave is immaculately made, and it stands as one of the better films of the year. Rare is the film that takes faith seriously and offers reflection on the beauty of belief in a world of skepticism and yet certainty. Conclave is a film that challenges certainty and asks us all to consider our nature.
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