Conclave (2024), directed by Edward Berger, stars Ralph Fiennes, Stanley Tucci, John Lithgow, Lucian Msamati, Sergio Castellitto, Rony Kramer, Carlos Diehz, Isabella Rossellini, Jacek Koman, Thomas Loibl, Brian F. O’Byrne, and Valerio Da Silva. After the Pope dies, his old friend, Cardinal Lawrence (Fiennes), is tasked with leading the election of a successor. Once sequestered in the Vatican, the petty political games of various Cardinals commence.  Determined to right by his old friend (and in turn, God), Lawrence sets out to uncover the various secrets of his fellow Cardinals to determine who is the most worthy.

The film is almost entirely dialogue-driven and because of this requires a strong cast of performers to make the material work. Thankfully, almost every notable actor involved is at the top of their respective games. Visually, each actor is believable as an aged holy man, but they also seem to naturally embody the spirits of men who have given their entire lives to the church. The script is smart to write these characters as the benevolent men many see them as but also the everyday flawed humans that we all know they are. They are men who strive for the best but never doubt their purity, leading them to do horrible things in the name of God – as if the ends always justify the means. There are no true villains (mostly), just individuals who muddle the act of serving themselves with serving God.

 The movie will feel slow for a certain portion of the audience, but that’s only if they’re expecting a more “in-your-face” kind of thriller. This is a thriller that prioritizes realism over spectacle and is therefore intellectually stimulating as opposed to viscerally thrilling. The film tackles multiple themes that include isolation, selflessness, and unity but never feels on the nose when exploring them. These are all tastefully below the surface and avoid distracting from a more straightforward reading of the story. However, if one is bored by the story at hand, there’s always a secondary idea/theme they can consider. 

What’s so impressive is that the movie fosters a sense of palpable tension/danger while being rated PG. The script never takes the lazy way out by resorting to sequences of violence/action and instead finds ways to excite the audience that are purely intellectual. There are a few effective twists that are even more surprising considering the viewer doesn’t expect them in this specific genre. The twists here work perfectly to hammer home the film’s most important themes but also satisfy in a more straightforward sense when it comes to the plot. 

The script is also smart in the sense that it doesn’t attack/challenge the idea of a God/Christianity, it instead attacks/challenges the more human machinations of the church itself. This allows the film, although set in a highly religious setting, to appeal to viewers who are not necessarily religious. On the other hand, I think the film should still highly appeal to religious viewers as a challenge to their beliefs that should in turn affirm them  (if one understands everything correctly).

Overall, this is one of the best films of the year and is also one of the most balanced religious films I’ve seen. The performances are top-notch across the board and the dialogue doesn’t feature a single line that breaks immersion. It’s constantly unpredictable and takes big swings that will inevitably fail for some (for stupid reasons, I’m assuming), but should work for anyone who enjoys being challenged intellectually as well as politically. If you’re an adult, check this out. In my mind, it’s one of the most important religiously-centered films of the modern era. A-