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DIGITAL

Opening Date

02 Jan 2025

Rating

M18 Mature Content

Runtime

120 mins

Language

English with English subtitles

Genre

Drama, Thriller

Director

Edward Berger

Cast

Ralph Fiennes, Stanley Tucci, John Lithgow, Isabella Rossellini

Synopsis

Nominated for 6 Golden Globe Award including Best Picture and more.
CONCLAVE follows one of the world’s most secretive and ancient events – selecting the new Pope. Cardinal Lawrence (Ralph Fiennes) is tasked with running this covert process after the unexpected death of the beloved Pope. Once the Catholic Church’s most powerful leaders have gathered from around the world and are locked together in the Vatican halls, Lawrence finds himself at the center of a conspiracy and discovers a secret that could shake the very foundation of the Church.

Reviews

By InCinemas 30 Dec 2024

One of the year’s most visceral and engaging films.

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Cardinals and prospective popes, they’re just like us – they jest and gossip and smoke and drink like plebeians do. This may not be the film's intended takeaway but it was eye-opening for this reviewer to see just how human they actually are, especially having lived with the misconception that people of the clergy are sanctimonious.

In Edward Berger’s riveting thriller, Conclave peels back the curtains into the scandalous lives of the church’s elite as a papal conclave is organised to elect the next pope. It’s a beautiful insight into a world so secretive and isolated that it almost feels flagrant to be given a front row seat. The film stars Ralph Fiennes, Stanley Tucci, John Lithgow, Sergio Castellitto, and Isabella Rossellini.

Following the death of the Pope, Cardinal-Dean Thomas Lawrence (Fiennes) is tasked to overlook the gathering of the College of Cardinals to elect the next Head of Church. The four main candidates are the liberal Aldo Bellini of the United States (Tucci), social conservative Joshua Adeyemi of Nigeria (Lucian Msamati), Joseph Tremblay of Canada (Lithgow), and far-right traditionalist Goffredo Tedesco of Italy (Sergio Castelitto). The College is surprised by the last-minute arrival of Vincent Benitez (Carlos Diehz), who was secretly named Archbishop of Kabul one year earlier. Lawrence finds himself in the difficult position of investigating the secrets, lies and deceit behind each candidate.

Fiennes gives a most transcendent performance of a lost man burdened with glorious purpose – a performance only made greater by the stellar supporting cast of actors leaning into their individual roles so different from each other but yet come together like a perfect puzzle.

Conclave has every department firing on all cylinders – from the collective precision of the cast’s performances and Peter Straughan’s screenplay to Berger’s vision, Stéphane Fontaine’s cinematography and harrowing score by Hauschka – delivering one of the year’s most visceral and engaging films we’ve had the pleasure of witnessing. As far as religious dramas go, there's never been a more exquisitely gripping or entertaining piece of cinema. A film triumphant in keeping viewers invested in something that is of no interest of relevance to them is a film worthy of attention and Conclave is an ideal example of that.
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