Poster of the film Conclave

Conclave

Drama Thriller English


After the unexpected death of the Pope, Cardinal Lawrence is tasked with managing the covert and ancient ritual of electing a new one. Sequestered in the Vatican with the Catholic Church’s most powerful leaders until the process is complete, Lawrence finds himself at the center of a conspiracy that could lead to its downfall.

Cast:Ralph Fiennes, Stanley Tucci, John Lithgow, Isabella Rossellini, Lucian Msamati, Carlos Diehz
Director:Edward Berger
Writer:Peter Straughan
Editor:Nick Emerson
Camera:Stéphane Fontaine

Guild Reviews

Image of scene from the film Conclave

Ralph Fiennes, Stanley Tucci's Performance In This Vatican Political Thriller Is Must Watch

FCG Member Reviewer Sanyukta Thakare
Sanyukta Thakare | Mashable India
Fri, February 7 2025

The ending turns the table on the audience

In a sense the ending in brilliant where the audience ends up judging themselves on the reaction as they were judging each character through out the runtime of the film, but it may not be enough. Directed by Edward Berger of All Quiet On The Western Front, the film is based on a book by Robert Harris released in 2016. The story sets forward a simple premise but stirs up major socio economic discussion in a religious setting. Conclave isn’t about ideology how much to maintain it while also trying to exist in the same world filled with national and economic borders. The film follows Dean Lawrence arriving after the death of the Pope and then tracking his last moments of the day. Early on the film builds suspense around his death but instead of turning into a crime thriller or drama the film explores several plots and subplots at the same time with much fineness. Much of it can be seen through the screenplay while other can be seen in the performance of the actors and through the direction aka Edward Berger’s point of view. He also explores the contradiction in Vatican’s world, the orders it operates on, the way it is perceived and even tries to break down those notions.

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