REVIEW #422 Conclave (2024)

CONCLAVE (2024)

SYNOPSIS

After the death of the Pope, Dean Cardinal Lawrence is tasked with leading the Conclave to select the next Holy Father. But he soon finds himself caught in the middle of internal politics between the world’s most powerful religious leaders.

MY REVIEW

Conclave immediately enters my top 5 films of 2024. The film shines in every technical aspect, from the acting and the writing, to the beautiful cinematography that serves as a nostalgic throwback to what cinema used to be. Where every shot serves a purpose and intentionally escalates and enhances the themes that run through the core of the movie. The aesthetic perfectly symbolised the suffocating atmosphere inside the Vatican, with the Cardinals isolated for the Conclave, where even the light seems like a scarce resource, creating a sense of unease amongst the political chaos manifesting in the shadows. The use of more natural light sources, shadow and a combination of packed wide shots or revealing close ups emphasised the tension of characters but for Lawrence specifically, it illustrated a man who was struggling with the weight of responsibility and that was executed perfectly by Ralph Fiennes. But at times, shots were created simply to highlight the beauty of their surroundings, often breaking away from the storyline to offer an almost documentary style viewing of the background characters and the stunning architecture, organic for sure, but framed in a way that was incredible cinematic too.

The storyline itself is extremely captivating, from a dramatic perspective but also from a general intrigue perspective, as they portrayed one of the most ancient and secretive processes in the world. Touching upon the political spectrum from inside the Catholic Church itself and bringing in societal topics such as how certain Cardinals view sexuality for example. I’ve seen some people claim the film is ‘woke’, but at no point did I feel the film was leaning in that direction. It simply presented the difficulties the church faces in the modern era and how that can cause conflict in the church itself. To me, that created drama through real topics that felt authentic and added to the sense of realism in a setting that can feel too extravagant at times. The drama was matched with wonderful and almost profound dialogue which was incredibly impactful. Ralph Fiennes’ monologue on certainty was one of the highlights of the film and stayed with me long after the film had finished. The acting as a whole was really impressive, with a talented group of actors that communicated the tension and unease perfectly. 

This final paragraph contains spoilers…

Now, as you may have noticed I have been full of praise so far for the film and to be frank, I don’t really have any true criticisms! I am slightly unsure on how I feel about the twist at the end, where it was revealed that the ‘medical issues’ so frequently mentioned regarding Cardinal Benitez, turns out to be that he was intersex, a condition he did not realise until he had already become a Cardinal for the Catholic Church. This acts as the big finale. Now was this needed? I don’t think so, Benitez already had so much depth to his character having been a Cardinal in war hit areas and a late addition to the conclave, so to add this additional element kind of felt unnecessary. It does however pose the morality question to the audience. Prior to that moment, Benitez was clearly the best man for the job, so why should his medical condition prevent him from being Pope? Well in my opinion it shouldn’t, having slightly different genetics doesn’t give him a physical advantage/disadvantage, like it would in a sport for example. In addition to this, he’s already chosen to live as a man, accepted by the previous Holy Father. For others they might think otherwise, I guess it stems conversation but this might be where the ‘woke’ claims started, I still don’t think this is Woke at all, but that will be subjective to the person viewing. Although the topic is relevant considering modern sporting controversies, I don’t think it necessarily helps the film.

My Rating: 9.2 out of 10

Thanks for reading.

Film Review Club