In this enthralling political thriller, Ralph Fiennes delivers an Oscar-worthy performance as a Vatican priest who must manage the election of a new pope. The fervent set-up feels very suspicious from the start, as the incumbent Pope is found dead and the journey to succession swiftly ensues.
Initially, the film’s tone is one of a whodunnit, but while the robed men milling around all have secrets and aspirations, this is not a murder mystery but a religious procedural steeped in intrigue.
Grief-stricken Cardinal-Dean Lawrence (Fiennes) gathers an international conclave of priests to be sequestered in the Sistine Chapel for as many days as it takes to decide who among them should succeed the departed. Popular choices include Stanley Tucci’s liberal American Aldo Bellini, the moderate Cardinal Tremblay (John Lithgow) and socially conservative Nigerian Cardinal Adeyemi (Lucian Msamati).
Humility reigns as many purport not to want or feel worthy of the post, but as the rounds of votes tighten the race, Lawrence is privy to damning hearsay that would exclude certain men.
The excellent screenplay by Peter Straughan (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy) turns a bureaucratic process into gripping drama in which spies and servants reveal who really wields the power.
Based on Robert Harris’s fascinating novel, it twists and turns through the myriad layers of faith-testing and campaigning required to determine who will lead the most powerful church in the world. But one senses that even with less interesting material, the shapeshifting Fiennes would be just as stupendous.
While it’s ridiculous this late in his illustrious career to describe his Lawrence as a revelation, perhaps the more apt response to his jaw-dropping embodiment of the deeply ambivalent and admirably principled priest is it’s a reminder of Fiennes’ enormous talent. Youngsters may know him as Harry Potter’s terrifyingly noseless Voldemort, but those lucky enough to have seen him on the London stage will know he’s as adept at turning an everyman into a scintillating example of deep humanity.
As Lawrence, Fiennes softens his voice slightly, drops his shoulders a tad, and sheds completely the skins of his previous arrogant heroes. By comparison, Tucci feels more like Tucci. The convivial ambassador of Italian comfort food has become perhaps too familiar a visitor to our social media feeds to truly convince as a Man of God grappling with ambition.
Director Berger (All Quiet on the Western Front) takes the uninitiated inside this most secretive of sects with stunning photography drenched in reds, blacks and golden lighting: every other shot is an exquisitely composed piece of art in its own right. Then a candid cutaway to a scarlet-dressed priest having a cigarette, on the phone, wheeling a suitcase reminds us that these holy men with enormous responsibility are also just humans after all.
Rating out of five: ★★★★★
Conclave, directed by Edward Berger, is in cinemas now.
