A new film about a secretive and scheming group of cardinals vying to select the next Pope has premiered in the UK at the London Film Festival.
Conclave, featuring a star-studded cast including Ralph Fiennes, Stanley Tucci, and Isabella Rossellini, is an adaptation of Robert Harris’s 2016 novel of the same name.
Directed by Edward Berger, the renowned German-Austrian filmmaker behind the 2022 adaptation of All Quiet on the Western Front, Conclave is generating Oscar buzz, with many predicting its chances for Best Picture.
Individual performances, especially those by Fiennes and Tucci, are also thought to be strong contenders for major acting awards.
The film opens with the sudden death of the Pope, prompting the world’s cardinals to gather in Rome to elect a new head of the Catholic Church.
However, as the election process begins, political maneuvering, conspiracies, and personal agendas soon come to the forefront.
Fiennes portrays the principled Cardinal Lawrence, who is responsible for overseeing the proceedings but soon wonders if he should step into the race himself.
Fiennes’ portrayal of the reserved yet strategic Lawrence is being hailed as an awards-worthy performance, showcasing his character’s subtle scheming to influence the outcome of the selection.
Premiering at the Royal Festival Hall during the London Film Festival, Conclave saw Berger, Harris, and the film’s lead stars walking the red carpet.
The movie starts with a measured pace—after the Pope’s death, the groundwork is laid for the drama to unfold, gradually introducing the various contenders for the papacy.
Yet, as the plot develops over its two-hour runtime, the tension builds, drawing viewers deeper into the intrigue.
Reviewers have been impressed by the film’s ability to turn what could be a dry premise into a gripping thriller.
Tomris Laffly from AV Club noted: “Don’t be fooled by how tedious the premise of finding a new Pope might sound on paper. In Berger’s studious and elegant hands, every vote, every subtle reaction, and every quietly eventful meal the cardinals share is packed with breathless, skin-prickling suspense.”
Mashable’s Kristy Puchko praised Conclave as a “sophisticated and sharply enthralling thriller” that thoughtfully explores the complexities of Catholicism.
Similarly, Vulture’s Bilge Ebiri remarked that the film “combines the pulp velocity of a great airport read with the gravitas of high drama.”
While there is one contrived twist in the later part of the film, it serves to set up an intense final act.
According to The Hollywood Reporter’s Steven Farber, the film’s unpredictable conclusion will leave even those who anticipate the next Pope’s identity surprised. “The twist is very much in keeping with the film’s ambition to merge the certainties of the past with an unpredictable and essential new future.”
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