The sombre colours surrounding the priests’ dialogue with their paused speech and the heavy tones of their voices, the latter finds even more depth in their troubled countenances. In the bed lies an old and feeble dead Pope. The Vatican is preparing to enter a new era. The cardinals who are vying for the spot represent the very human feelings and desires that permeate the British American movie ‘Conclave’ (2024), a work with strong writing and directing and, adding to that, a splendid cast and Renaissance art-inspired cinematography all combined to make one of the best political thriller and drama from the last decades.
The Conclave is one of the world’s most ancient and secretive rituals; it happens when the cardinals of the Catholic Church stay secluded in the Vatican to elect the new Pope. The Edward Berger (All Quiet on the Western Front) picture is based on the homonymous best-seller by Robert Harris, who, to craft his fiction, consulted Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor, a priest who was part of two conclaves in 2005 and 2013.
The protagonist is Cardinal Lawrence, who is tasked with leading the traditional event; still, he struggles with his faith while trying to keep the peace between the power-hungry cardinals and their humble colleagues who see themselves as servants of the religion. This is one of the best acting performances by Ralph Fiennes, who portrays self-doubt, scepticism, and wariness towards not only his future but also the one that lies ahead for the Vatican and its followers around the globe.
Isabella Rossellini finds one of her most powerful performances in Sister Agnes, as the world-cinema royalty operates on a different level from her peers. Agnes tries to show solemnness while burning inside by seeing how some of the cardinals behave as decadent politicians and businessmen. Sister Agnes represents the space reserved for women in this institution considering its current and possible future states. The writing presents the diverse groups inside the centuries-old institution, giving the picture more credibility. In an organization that has been around for so long, there are factions, cult-like units, people who have committed hideous acts, but also those who believe in serving and loving their brothers and sisters under the same God.
The prejudice and sins that plague the church aren’t forgotten or absolved by ‘Conclave,’ but there are also characters who embody the positive traits respecting its dogmas. The ensemble cast with names like Stanley Tucci, John Lithgow, Lucian Msamati, Brían F. O’Byrne, and Sergio Castellitto compose the skilled vessels to paint how complex can be the Catholic church on its stances towards modern societal themes. The Mexican Carlos Diehz is an architect and a late bloomer in the acting world who leaves his mark as the humble and warm Cardinal Benítez.
The humanization of an ancient institution
The Catholic Church has rich imagery and symbolisms that are matched by few religions in the world, not only its rites but also its wardrobe, objects, music, architecture, and other aspects that are opulent and create good images from which cinematographer Stéphane Fontaine makes the most translating into a modern reading of renaissance art.
The colour red plays a special role. It doesn’t translate as passion and desire as seen in Pedro Almodóvar’s movies. Still, it is a tone of red akin to the blood that pours out of Christ’s body, a reminder of unity and repentance, while signalling to old traditions inserted in a heavily industrialized world.
Like the Vatican scenarios, the surrounding soundtrack becomes another character, helping further the experience and reading those men and women’s motifs, fears, and wishes.
Maturity is a trait of ‘Conclave’ because it doesn’t go for shock value or graphic imagery to criticize the Catholic Church, thus avoiding treading on the yesteryear clichés that suck out the weight of other cultural products that approach the sins of the Vatican. ‘Conclave’ is a breath amidst the self-righteous spawl of pseudo-religious movies in streaming services.
Having characters who struggle with their faith or the hierarchy they are stuck in while trying to maintain their dignity shows that ‘Conclave’ is respectful to the viewers. Catholicism is given as one of its richest on-screen representations. Berger’s film humanizes the institution and comes from the point of an outsider who doesn’t treat the characters and the organization as infallible. Their human element is what makes ‘Conclave’ a truly beautiful film.
