Smartly written

“Conclave” puts us inside the room where the pope is chosen and the first thing that jumps out is pomp, the ritual, and the spectacle of the whole thing. Director Edward Berger has made a film of great deference and attention to detail; one that looks absolutely marvelous but also has a maturity and respect for procedure and finely written drama that we see all too infrequently at the movies. This is a special one.


And at its center is Ralph Fiennes, an actor who surprisingly still has no Oscars but has shot up to the top of the leaderboard here. His Thomas Lawrence is the Dean of the College of Cardinals, chosen to organize the proceedings of picking the new Pope after the preceding one dies. It’s a task he takes on reluctantly. In fact, he’s thinking of resigning from the Vatican all together over a crisis of his own faith.


And the complications continue to mount. One is that the favorite amongst the cardinals is Cardinal Tedesco (Sergio Castelitto), a religious zealot and ethnocentrist who wants to take the church back to even less liberal times. There’s also a Cardinal Tremblay (John Lithgow), who may or may not have been dismissed by the former pope for scandal. And Cardinal Benitez (Carlos Diaz), who arrives from Kabul, surprising everyone as only the former Pope knew there was a Cardinal in Afghanistan.


Several other Cardinals are in contention, such as Bellini (Stanley Tucci), the most liberal of candidates. He wants an expanded role for homosexuals as well as women- the latter of which produces more audible groans and protests than votes. And the emergence of a Nigerian candidate (Lucian Msamati) produces another interesting conundrum- a man whose conservative politics are archaic, but hey, he is black.


There is a tension of the unknowable here as Lawrence gives his opening address, one that challenges them to look past their own preconceived notions and ambitions to do what’s right. After giving that speech, it’s almost unnerving seeing him walk passed many of his co-horts, some of which stare daggers and others just regard him as an “other.” We really get the sense of the various political factions against each other.


The ritual of the whole thing is pretty fascinating- detailing how the vote works, the secrecy with which everything is carried out, and the stone-faced silence of the men doing the vote. It feels cultish and even a bit ominous, but the most egregious machinations happen behind the scenes. Who knows if any of this backstabbing actually happens but there’s enough late night meetings, kompromat, double crosses, ulterior motives, and dirty laundry to fill a spy novel.


Coming along with that are the ideological differences and questions which take over every election season. Is it time for a more forward-thinking church or are they making too many allowances already? Can liberalism overcome hundreds of years of very conservative views? And is voting for the least worst candidate enough?


As said, Fiennes is in nearly every scene and he makes them count with an understated performance that comes with an inner intensity. His Lawrence is a mediator, and a reluctant one at that, but he keeps finding himself pressed to be more. An investigator, an absolver of sins, the moral, unambitious voice of reason, though at first, it’s hard to say whether we can say for sure we even know what’s truly in this man’s heart either.


Tucci is also very good as a man fighting a losing battle who may also have some secrets of his own and pretty much everyone from Lithgow to Castelitto, Msamati, and Diaz are given compelling roles that deepen figuring out what’s really happening here. And Isabella Rossellini also gets a strong, pivotal role as a nun who knows some secrets of her own.


Berger’s film coasts on wonderful production design, strong characters, and a credible, smartly written scenario that keeps finding more intriguing complications. It’s only in the last 20 minutes where it doesn’t exactly fail, but you can feel “Conclave” succumbing to shock value which results in more questions than satisfying conclusions. It’s a somewhat cheap way to end an otherwise gripping and intelligent adult thriller.