Conclave

November 15 – 21

7:00 pm nightly
1:30 Sunday Matinée
PG — 1hr 58min
2024 ‧ Mystery / Drama / Thriller

Ralph Fiennes gives a career-best performance in the magnificent Vatican thriller Conclave. The film, directed by Edward Berger (All Quiet on the Western Front), captures all the grandeur, tradition and intrigue of the selection process for a new pope. Drawn from Robert Harris’ bestselling novel of the same name and filmed in Rome on stages matching church edifices, it’s as meticulous as it is authoritative, with multiple secrets and plot twists, including a final reveal that shocks and provokes. Every frame is gorgeously composed, with stunning visuals that underscore the story’s surprising twists that thrill on two different levels. It takes us inside an ancient, mysterious process that has inspired endless curiosity for hundreds of years: the assembly of Catholic cardinals to select a new Pope. Here and there, it touches lightly on parallels to the less secret struggles for power and disputes about foundational values that are only too familiar to us. The chance to peek into the arcane details of the process is fascinating.

The superb cast includes John Lithgow as a candidate whose currying of support may have crossed a line from unseemly to unethical, and Lucian Msamati as an African bishop whose selection could be an opportunity to send a message of inclusion, though a secret from his past might be disqualifying. Lawrence supports his friend, Cardinal Bellini (Stanley Tucci, a standout even in this stellar array of performances), who is candid about his liberal views and thus scares off many potential supporters. At the other end of the spectrum is the Catholic version of fire and brimstone, Cardinal Tedesco (Sergio Castellitto), who wants to bring back Latin and kick out anyone out of the church who does not meet his limited ideas of suitability. Isabella Rossellini is formidable as a nun who, as she says, is supposed to be invisible but cannot help but have eyes and ears – and, though she does not add this, a mouth with something to say.

Conclave is smart, provocative, sometimes funny, and determined to make us rethink our initial impressions. It challenges us to challenge ourselves and is wildly entertaining, one of the year’s standout films. A masterclass in subtlety and tension, with performances that breathe life into a script brimming with insight and complexity.