#conclave review

[agentnico]

Conclave (2024) review

This Pope is dope!

Plot: Cardinal Lawrence is tasked with one of the world's most secretive and ancient events - leading the selection of a new pope. Surrounded by powerful religious leaders in the halls of the Vatican, he soon uncovers a trail of deep secrets that could shake the very foundation of the Roman Catholic Church.

Since his stellar 2022 adaptation of All Quiet on the Western Front that bagged him a Best International Feature Academy Award, Edward Berger showcased himself as a director to keep an eye out for. I did not expect him to be back so quickly, yet here we are with Conclave, and goodness we he may have yet another awards contender on his hands. This movie is all about lies, deception, manipulation and strategy, all encapsulated in this global scale game of chess. From the offset one may question how interesting a movie about a bunch of cardinals picking the next Pope could be. Like it’s just a bunch of men in red caps sitting and talking. But believe me this is far from a boring tale, as Berger manages to turn this intimate and supposedly-holy ritual into a thrilling and tense experience that echoes the scheming, backstabbing nature and intrigue of something like Game of Thrones whilst also feeling strikingly relevant. I’m not saying this thing is full of sex and blood, but truly this movie about priests gossiping is extremely entertaining and engaging. Whenever the ballot result was being announced after every vote, I’m not going to lie, and I hate using this term, I was at the edge of my seat, wondering who the next front runner was.

Part of me wishes this took a Death of Stalin approach with all these cardinals trying to one up each other to get to the top, as there is so much comedy potential in that. However this movie plays it mostly straight, yet it does still manage to find some humour in the interactions, with especially one of the most diabolical vape hits of all time, and I don’t just mean in cinema history. Truly though this is a really well made piece of drama, and also fantastically shot, as Berger and his crew manage to turn the Vatican into a highly cinematic location, with even a small behind-the-scene auditorium darkened in a way that only the red of the cardinals clothing and the turquoise blue seats are highlighted, which I must say was a phenomenal minimalistic approach. Also a bird’s eye sequence of the cardinals holding white umbrellas and walking past a fountain - chef’s kiss! Huge shout out to Volker Bertelmann’s music score, as even though I think his work on All Quiet on the Western Front was overrated and dull, here his style works much better, with his score dominating a specific sound made by a string chamber orchestra, that mirrored the movie’s constant theme of being “stuck”.

With this cast you already expected high class performances, but truly they are great. Elegant, crafty, poised, but never shy of getting emotional when needed, Ralph Fiennes abilities of balance continue to impress me with how he invests in making a good character. It’s a reserved yet powerful performance. Stanley Tucci goes a bit more theatrical, his character the voice of the "liberal" side as his aggressions and passions are artfully delivered in a manner fit for the stage to offset Fiennes' calmer tones. John Lithgow is almost a mix of the two extremes, holding his usual support role that keeps so many of the leading sides held and providing perhaps most of the engaging mystery element in the search for the truth. Isabella Rossellini is unfortunately a tad under-used, though she does get one scene to deliver that powerful note that the Oscars would love to reference should she be nominated. Lucian Msamati, Sergio Castellitto and Carlos Diehz also make notable turns as the other contenders for the Pope role, all of whom get their moments to shine.

In my eyes Conclave is a stunning piece of work. It manages to take what one would assume as such a simple premise, yet manages to entangle it with so many threads of twists and turns, as such turning a political and religious drama into a true mystery thriller, with Fiennes character acting more so as a detective rather than a leader of the conclave. Partner that with the great acting, sublime cinematography and a slow but engaging pace with a script filled with wit and realism, and we have ourselves one hell of a motion picture!

Overall score: 8/10

[flustered-art]

Resurrecting this dead account to post pope fanart

[funnypages]

Conclave: The Surprise Movie Recommendation of October

So this is not at all what I would usually share on here, but if you looking for a movie to see with some of you older family, especially with the holidays coming up next few months, I definitely recommend you check out Conclave, a political thriller/mystery set during the election of a new pope, based of a 2016 novel by Robert Harris

Basic plot: Cardinal Thomas Lawrence (Ralph Fiennes) is a cardinal of the liberal faction in the Roman Catholic Church, who receives news that the current pope (unnamed but heavily modeled after current Pope Francis) has died. As Dean of the College of Cardinals, it is Lawrence's responsibility to organize and manage the papal conclave during which the cardinals of the Church will be sequestered within the Sistine Chapel and elect the new pope.

Going into the conclave the 4 main candidates for pope are:

Cardinal Goffredo Tedesco (Sergio Castellitto) - An Italian cardinal from the extremely conservative traditionalist faction of the church, who wishes to undue all reforms the Catholic Church has initiated since the 1960s; and is a racist, fundamentalist, homophobe. The closest thing to a villain the movie has

Cardinal Joshua Adeyemi (Lucian Msamati) - A Nigerian cardinal, who while a liberal on economic issues and not wanting to roll back all reforms, is a hardliner against acceptance of LGBT+ issues.

Cardinal Joseph Tremblay (John Lithgow) - A Canadian Conservative (although arguably more of a centrist), who has been machinating for months prior to the old pope's death to be elected, and will do anything to make sure it happens

Cardinal Aldo Bellini (Stanley Tucci) - An American cardinal who is a friend of Lawrence and the late pope. The candidate for the liberal/reform faction; he wants to improve relations with non-Christian religions, moderate the church on abortion and LGBT+ issues, and open to allowing women in the clergy. Although more sympathetic than the conservative candidates, we come to discover he is just as power hungry as them for the papacy.

As Lawrence tries to manage the election (while also supporting his friend as neutral as possible), he finds himself trying to investigate conspiracies, coverups, blackmail; and the appearance of a mysterious cardinal nobody has met before, but was appointed by the pope in secret prior to his death.

The movie is incredibly well acted and shot; and while quite critical of the Catholic Church at times; quite sympathetic in actual religious belief. I have seen some very pissed of reviews complaining about it being "woke" but while it is definitely on the side of the liberal faction, both Tremblay and Adeyemi get sympathetic moments. Although the "woke" accusations probably come mostly from the final twist. Won't give it away, but the movie says Queer Rights.

If you are still curious, I recommend checking out the trailer. It actually does a really good job of not spoiling anything but mixing around lines and scenes.

[pricelessreviews]

[angevinyaoiz]

Really enjoyed Conclave! It was very fun and gossipy just as promised, and loved the incredible compositions. Would definitely want to see again. It was a bit unexpected for me because I felt it started off as more a gritty mystery, but in the end I feel it had turned a bit more into an idealistic parable. I felt it didn't really dig deep into its own implications and triumph outside of the titular conclave-- after all, what does it mean, in reality, for even the best, "Good Man" to head an inherently hierarchical institution like the Catholic Church??There are platitudes about liberal morality vs traditionalism that to me felt fairly simple to wrap up a story neatly. But in the end I feel the intention was to tell more a fun exciting story than get into All That. Great faces and great acting, great suspense and whispering around corners.

[silveragelovechild]

Originally I did not plan to see “Conclave”. I don’t have any interest in stories about religion nor the Catholic Church in particular.

But “Conclave” has been receiving some very good reviews (92% at Rotten Tomatoes) with Ralph Fiennes being single out for his Oscar worthy role. The movie does hold up pretty well, and Fiennes is excellent.

But it’s no surprise the movie included many details of arcane rituals and men dressed in red gowns and lots of jewelry. (You’d think this was another season of Drag Race.)

The movie opens with the death of one pope then follows the effort to elect a new pope. Fiennes plays Cardinal Lawrence who must manage the voting process, although he himself has doubts about his own faith.

There aren’t any murders in “Conclave” but the plot follows a typical detective mystery story - Fiennes must discover who is telling the truth and what secrets are they hiding.

You might think that as men of the cloth, the cardinals would be open and honest… nope! Many of them conspire against each other and they have secrets that would create major scandals for the church if they were to be leaked.

The main candidates for the job are:

John Lithgow as Tremblay who you can tell is lying just by looking at him

Stanley Tucci as liberal Bellini who is more concerned someone else doesn’t get elected.

Sergio Castellitto as Tedesco who can easily pass as a MAGA member

Lucian Msamati as Adeyemi who may have broken a priestly vow

Carlos Diehz as soft spoken Benitez who was recently promoted.

A fair portion of the movie is devoted to the various rounds of voting, and how the Cardinals win or loses votes. My one complaint about the movie is, at the end, to adds tension, the method the votes are revealed is suddenly changed. The outcome was obvious, so this switch felt like a cheat.

The ending involves a twist which you may have read about by the time you read this. It’s very topical but wasn’t entirely necessary to the plot - except that it does have some rumored precedence.

Note: Isabella Rossellini has a small role in the film. I follow her on Instagram and it was nice seeing her on the big screen again.

[popentertainment-moviereviews]

CONCLAVE (2024)

Starring Ralph Fiennes, Stanley Tucci, John Lithgow, Sergio Castellitto, Isabella Rossellini, Lucian Msamati, Carlos Diehz, Brían F. O'Byrne, Merab Ninidze, Thomas Loibl, Jacek Koman, Rony Kramer, Valerio Da Silva, Joseph Mydell, Vincenzo Failla, Garrick Hagon, Merab Ninidze, Madhav Sharma, Loris Loddi, Roberto Citran, Antonio Toma and Balkissa Maiga.

Screenplay by Peter Straughan.

Directed by Edward Berger.

Distributed by Focus Features. 110 minutes. Rated PG.

Who would have imagined that one of the most intriguing and suspenseful films of this year would be about a bunch of cardinals sequestered in the Vatican to vote on a new Pope? In fact, intriguing and suspenseful is not giving Conclave its full due. This is simply one of the best films of the year. Don’t be surprised to see it on a bunch of best films of the year lists and also for it to get a whole bunch of award nominations.

It's that good. Who would have guessed?

Again, it was about a bunch of cardinals in the Vatican. Blessed are the believers, indeed.

Conclave is based on the novel by Robert Harris and shows us – very forcefully and at the same time very subtly – that some very devout and proper people can still have some skeletons in their closets. In fact, pretty much everyone here, and they are mostly good and spiritual followers of Christ, has some serious secrets which they are not willing to allow to see the light of day.

Many of the deadly sins – lust, greed, pride, envy and wrath – all show up at different points in the story. (Gluttony and sloth don’t seem to be on the menu but give it time.) The final twist – which I will certainly not spoil – is not even on that deadly sins scale and may even go too far afield dramatically for a chunk of the film’s potential audience. Yet somehow it does make a certain strange sense for the story.

Even arguably the most devout person of all – Cardinal Thomas Lawrence (Ralph Fiennes) – the man in charge of making sure the conclave runs smoothly and essentially the moral center of the story (assuming you don’t count the dead Pope) makes some dubious moves and forms some sketchy alliances. And yet you can tell he is doing these things for the right reasons.

Or is he?

The choosing of the Pope itself turns out to be oddly like an extremely solemn reality show. Cardinals take the lead in the votes, make alliances with (and against) each other, sabotage each other’s campaigns and as their secrets meet the light of day, they are basically voted off the island.

There is much more subterfuge and backstabbing than you would expect from such a serious pursuit, but that just points out the humanity of the process.

The acting here is unfailingly spectacular, particularly Fiennes, Stanley Tucci as a moderate cardinal and particularly Isabella Rossellini as a quiet but steely head nun, who is mostly ignored by the men, until she finally has to take some moral stands to keep the process going fairly. Seriously, Rossellini should definitely be in line for a Best Supporting Actress nominee.

Like I said earlier, don’t be surprised if that is only one of many Oscar nominations.

Jay S. Jacobs

Copyright ©2024 PopEntertainment.com. All rights reserved. Posted: October 23, 2024.

[rickchung]

Conclave (dir. Edward Berger) x VIFF 2024.

There's a operatic tension to the West German-born Austrian-Swiss director's religious Vatican thriller based on the novel of the same name by bestselling British author Robert Harris. Starring Ralph Fiennes as the cardinal tasked with overseeing the election of the Roman Catholic successor to the recently deceased Pope as he discovers a series of concerning secrets about many of the leading candidates as they vye for power. It's a tightly-wound melodrama about a detailed religious electoral process no one really knows about with strong allegories to the dysfunction of contemporary national elections. No one is guessing that ending either.

Screening at the 2024 Vancouver International Film Festival as part of the Special Presentations series at the Vancouver Playhouse on Sept. 29 & Oct. 4.

[theconnoisseurreviews]

My review of "Conclave" an interesting look behind the the scenes of the Catholic Church and all the politics that are involved in choosing the next Pope.

Follow me on my various social media sites @AwesomearnoldK

Or My Tumblr @theconnoisseurreview

[remedialreviews]

The music is overwrought and the writing is on occasion too tidy, but good cinematography, excellent performances, and tight direction compel until the white smoke. Interesting and thoughtful; if it's ever on the nose, it just about belongs there.

[tomato-bird-art]

I wrote up my review of Conclave (2024!) Fun Entertaining movie, highly recommend to see with a friend, not as deep as I would have liked but still fun

[mylifeincinema]

My Week(s) in Reviews: November 17, 2024

Conclave (Edward Berger, 2024)

A phenomenal cast and Berger's direction make this a quietly riveting, wholly unpredictable religious experience. Fiennes and Tucci are the obvious highlights, but there's really no weak spot in this cast. Then there's Berger's stunning blocking, which beautifully enriches the screenplay, editing and performances to create scene after scene of overwhelmingly affecting religious politics. I haven't read the book from which this was adapted, but with how effectively the narrative unfolds, here, I'd be surprised if this doesn't wind up being the front-runner for adapted screenplay. - 9/10

Here (Robert Zemeckis, 2024)

A mess. A sloppy, over-acted, awkwardly structured, emotionally diluted, miscalculated mess. Most of the cast is damn-near abysmal, hamming it up like this was some sort of small town theater production. Zemeckis' vision is interesting for about the first 20-minutes, or so, but then it just repeatedly gets in its own way, bleeding every ounce of emotional resonance from the film until the very final moments, which only hit because of the cast's saving grace, Robin Wright. - 3.5/10

Heretic (Scott Beck & Bryan Woods, 2024)

An academic horror film; a lesson in theology and power dynamics that succeeds because of a wonderful performance by Hugh Grant and the patience of Beck & Woods' direction and screenplay. - 8.5/10

Trap (M. Night Shyamalan, 2024)

I've worked in live music for 16 years, so the whole first half at the concert really stretched my ability to suspend disbelief. Shyamalan clearly did zero research into any of the logistics and mechanics of a concert such as the one featured here, especially in terms of security. And the result is torture. But Hartnett is having some seriously cartoonish fun, here, and that helps things a bit. Not much, but a bit. I don't necessarily dislike Shyamalan, but this one's a tonal, structural misfire whose tension is awkward and narrative is so frustratingly convenient. - 2.5/10

Enjoy!

-Timothy Patrick Boyer.

[swiftiereaders]

✨BOOK REVIEW✨ - Jen

Conclave by Robert Harris, 9/10

Conclave, which was recently made into a feature film starring Ralph Fiennes, John Lithgow, & Stanley Tucci, tells the historically fiction story of the death of a Pope and the Conclave meetings/voting procedures that follow. The book flows really well, is an easy read, and the ending really got me good! The main character, Cardinal Lomeli, battles self-doubt and conflict throughout the novel as the Conclave works to elect a new Pope, and as the story progresses scandals are revealed, secrets are uncovered, and it becomes very clear that the process to elect a proper Pope will have many bumps along the way. I genuinely enjoyed this book a lot and I highly recommend it, especially if you are interested in the topic.

Taylor Swift Songs that I associate with this book: Karma, Change

[celebelisnyc]

[cinematicendevaourz]

Berger's "Conclave" has dropped at a pertient time, given the weeks remaining for the U.S. election and all the chicanery surrounding it. Apparently, this isn't a foreign concept as Berger takes Straughan's script and shows the vision of just how childish men in their senoir ages can be when tempted with a little power. It's a cool and calm vision, ominous and foreboding as aby walkthrough in a Catholic church, or any Abrahamic vestibule for cult worship for that manner. I expected to laugh at the stuffy situations a little more than I did, but what was given was enough to allow some unexpected, but needed gutbusters, because goddamn "Conclave" is a gloomy film. Fiennes excelled in his role as Lawrence, Castellito had me rooting for Todesto and his stance on traditionalism.Tucci portrayed an excellent example of a hypocritcal liberal and Lithgow was cowardly as ever in his supporting role. An all star cast compliments the idea of a film about a pillar of society undergoing pangs of change, that Father Time makes all a fool too, no matter who claims the chief role in a papacy.

Amazing to see how sex is still such a hang up in a cult of creationism.

-

C.V.R. The Bard 27th/Oct.2k24