Inside the Vatican's power play: 'Conclave' unmasked
When the chapel windows are boarded up, and all outsiders are asked to leave, it becomes stuffy and uncomfortable. Whispers and meaningful glances don't help. Alliances and factions must be formed, and everyone around must be carefully observed. The battle for the most important position has just begun. Edward Berger created a dish that was straight from the Oscar recipe book. Yet, how exquisite it is!
The pope dies. The faithful will later hear about his service until the very end, his hard work, and then the quiet watchfulness of cardinals and nuns. Meanwhile, the body must be packed in a plastic bag, placed on a stretcher, and taken to the mortuary. The director is not sentimental and shows the stark reality: the pope's death means a body to be packed and an empty throne. The cardinals gathered in the Holy Father's room are silent, but each is thinking the same thing: someone from this group will become the pope in a few weeks.
The conclave begins, overseen by Dean Cardinal Lawrence (here played by Ralph Fiennes). He is not pleased with this duty; he is experiencing a crisis of faith and wants to get it over with, aiming to elect the liberal and dynamic Cardinal Bellini (Stanley Tucci) to the throne before retiring to the convent. He is unaware that this will be the most challenging task, and the conclave's conclusion will surprise the world.
"Conclave" is a film adaptation of the 2016 novel by popular writer Robert Harris. Other films inspired by his books include "An Officer and a Spy," "Munich: The Edge of War," and "The Ghostwriter." Edward Berger (director of the Oscar-winning "All Quiet on the Western Front") and screenwriter Peter Straughan treated the material as what it truly is: a political thriller. Reflection on the condition of the Church and its influential figures is the theme of this story, but in the foreground is the individual and his character, raising the question of whether ambition resides within each of us. The cinematic Bellini encourages us to look into our hearts and ask if we truly do not desire recognition and honours.
Under the devout foreheads of the cardinals, only intense glances flash back and forth. Should they vote for a liberal speaking on minority and women's rights, or for a conservative lamenting the cultural revolution? What if someone has no aspirations for the papal throne at all? He must quickly hand over his supporters to the favourite to avoid being outmanoeuvred by an opponent doing the same. We soon realise this game is where cardinals are like pawns on a chessboard. Berger gives us this association, as seen in the scene during a secret meeting in the auditorium, where in the dim light, only the scarlet skullcaps of the clergy deciding the fate of the Church flash. The Holy Spirit? Hard to spot in these negotiations and deals. It's pure politics with sophisticated players.
Fiennes, as Lawrence, is burdened by the conclave, lost in his ambitions, yet committed to the cause. Brilliantly human in his turmoil. There is speculation that he may receive an Oscar nomination (it would be his third, following "Schindler's List" and "The English Patient"). Meanwhile, Cardinal Bellini, played by Stanley Tucci, steals the scene with a single gesture or grimace—sophisticated, intelligent, sarcastic. Meanwhile, the jovial, almost boorish Cardinal Tedesco throws his arms wide, eats greedily, and ostentatiously smokes an electronic cigarette, wonderfully portrayed by the Italian actor Sergio Castellitto. The cast also includes the Polish actor Jacek Koman, who plays the Polish priest, the secretary of the deceased pope. More cardinals become additional pawns on this chessboard, characters of flesh and blood, with their personalities, passions, and vices. These latter traits, in particular, will become the target of more than one faction. Among these men in power, only one female character is given a spoken line: Sister Agnes (Isabella Rossellini). A seemingly small scene will change the course of events.
Stéphane Fontaine, the director of photography for "Jackie," is another potential Oscar nominee. Thanks to him, the prose brought to the screen needed few words. He crafted scenes using colours, light, and shadow, and these are what you'll ponder over after leaving the cinema. There will be opinions that "Conclave," with these meticulously crafted images, is almost too beautiful and obvious. That the ending may be easy to predict. But Berger hasn't created a crime story where the finale is the election of a new pope. It's an engrossing thriller about human nature, captivating with visual storytelling, justice for which can only be delivered by the big screen. Without these images and this cast, it might have been an interesting and enjoyable film, but Berger's "Conclave" resounds as a cinematic masterpiece, an Oscar dark horse.
