Courtesy Focus Features
Novelist Robert Harris’ 2016 book Conclave gets the big screen treatment starring the powerhouse trio of Ralph Fiennes, Stanley Tucci and John Lithgow. As an examination of powerlust, religion and cultish -behavior, it’s a satisfying thriller-esque drama with no shortage of fine performances. As a glimpse into the inner workings of the mysterious church? Well, let’s just say there’s something dark beneath the surface, and it’s not a bunch of hidden puzzle Dan Brown nonsense.
Fiennes is Lawrence, a managerial type cardinal known as a dean who operates at a higher echelon within the Catholic church. He’s also a close friend to the pope, who dies unexpectedly. Around the deceased holy father, the papal conclave begins. That semi-rare sequestering of international cardinals is how we get new popes on the rare occasion that happens. Wouldn’t you know it, though—everyone has their own motivations and even bigwig clerics are beholden to human emotions. Some cardinals want the highest seat in all the land, of course, while others are called to duty reluctantly. Take Tucci’s Bellini, for example, who declares, “No sane man would want the papacy!” Or take Lithgow’s Tremblay, who was the last to see the pope, and under suspicious circumstances no less—what’s that dude hiding? Lawrence must corral them and 105 others besides, which is no easy task when a last-minute cardinal posted to Afghanistan arrives; or when a traditionalist Italian cardinal longs for the old (read, kind of fucked-up) ways; or when nefarious deeds from the past begin haunting the delegate from Nigeria.
Like most films in which he appears, Fiennes -absolutely dominates his role with effortless acting chops. Lawrence might ultimately be a good man, but even he succumbs to the siren call of power. Tucci brings his A-game, too, as a would-be more accepting pope, while Lithgow proves once again that understated performances more succinctly convey darker themes than rage and screaming (see the only great season of Dexter, wherein he nailed it as a freakin’ psychopath).
Perhaps most interesting about Conclave, however, is in how it never makes the church itself the butt of a joke. Is religion flawed? Oh, big time, but whereas Conclave could have leaned into its institutional failures, it focuses instead on the flaws of man and their very human machinations. Pity, then, that the film only alludes to the sexual misdeeds that have plagued Catholocism’s heralds rather than calling them out plainly. It’s also a shame that the twist feels unearned. Harris co-wrote the script, and his ability to keep the focus purely on character study is notable, however. Alongside director Edward Berger’s visual aesthetic reading like a cavalcade of Renaissance paintings, Conclave is hard to shake. Doubt is part of the religious process, Lawrence posits at one point, and the film deftly illustrates our proclivities toward that. That doesn’t mean we are without faith or lost, of course, just that it’s kind of our duty to aim that faith to that and those which actually deserve it
8
+Stellar performances all-around; intriguing look at a mysterious organization
-The twist comes fast and furious and feels unearned
Conclave
Directed by Berger
With Fiennes, Tucci and Lithgow
Violet Crown Cinema, PG, 120 min
