Just a few days ago, the world was shaken by the passing of Pope Francis after a long battle with double pneumonia. The Catholic world must now undergo the rigorous process of selecting the successor of Pope Francis in the Vatican. With this, we revisit the film Conclave, a film with subject matter squarely about the voting process of electing a new pope. The film came into the scene back in 2024 with multiple Oscar Awards nominations, including a nomination for Best Picture, and while subjected to controversy when it was released, Conclave demonstrated that there is no doubt that a well-handled film even on the most sensitive of matters will triumph over dissenters.
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The story of Conclave is straightforward. The Pope passes away, and the Catholic world must then decide, through the deliberations and voting of its cardinals, which cardinal will be elevated to be the next pope. The process of deliberations and sequestered voting is known as a conclave, and the film provides the audience access to the politics and the drama involved in the process. The film’s challenge lies in translating a seemingly mundane story about a group of old priests voting on the new leader of the Catholic world into a compelling thriller that holds the attention of the audience from start to finish. It is safe to declare that Conclave has succeeded in that aspect in spades. Tension is omnipresent in every second of the film, from the opening scene of the passing of the pope all the way to the last thought-provoking scene. Conclave executed a masterclass in holding tension through the use of well-placed string instruments integrated in its score.
Possibly one of Conclave’s greatest strengths and contributions to the film community is the brilliant cinematography of Director Edward Berger and Director of Photography Stéphane Fontaine. The use of wide angles to portray the magnificence of the halls of the Vatican and the presence of the color red as a throughline color in the backdrop of contrasting set pieces of marble or blue are truly unreal, and I admire the composition of Fontaine in this film with great intensity. Fontaine places the cardinals wearing red in their outfits, led by Dean Lawrence (Ralph Fiennes), in particularly tight environments such as the dimly lit theater with dark blue seats, intentionally making certain that the red feels out of place and stands out because the audience can barely make anything out from the darkness, thus bringing the audience closer to the experience of the cardinals being confined, anxious, and literally and figuratively surrounded by darkness.
This film is not a story of religion, but rather of politics and the differing ideals of conservatism versus liberalism that challenge religion. The film, through its 2-hour runtime, successfully conveys the pressure on the cardinals in making the impossible choice of choosing the next leader of the Catholic world, and the consequences of their decisions. Conclave did not hold back in unraveling all the murkiness of internal politics involved in the voting process, similar to politicians jockeying for authority and the lengths they would take to secure power.
Conclave is a bold and elegant portrayal of one of Catholicism’s most important rituals and dives head first into the dirty politics and fragility of the Catholic faith, with no fear of controversy. The film is, without a doubt, one of the greatest films to come out of 2024.
Score: 10/10
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