Technically speaking, Conclave isn’t a murder mystery. Although it is kicked into gear by an unexpected death, foul play is never an aspect of its plot. The Pope has died quite suddenly, leaving the Catholic church in a state of alarm, as there is no obvious contender for his successor. Cardinal Lawrence (Ralph Fiennes) is tasked with overseeing the election of a new pope, but as far as the narrative is concerned, he’s a reluctant detective who just happens to wear a zucchetto. Everyone he talks to is treated like a suspect.
Because, as I said, Conclave only technically isn’t a murder mystery. The secret it has up its robe is that it plays like one, filled with enough twists to keep audiences guessing until multiple big reveals. This is a film which is essentially about a bunch of guys discussing religious politics, so it’s an astonishing accomplishment that it ends up being as thrilling as it is. It even has an explosion, albeit just one, but hey, Joker 2 only had one such scene too, and it had nearly ten times the budget.
Initially, Lawrence has no desire to be an active participant in the decision of a new leader. There’s pressure from his peers to support Cardinal Bellini (Stanley Tucci), who keeps insisting he doesn’t desire the title, but feels compelled to seek it as a progressive candidate. Otherwise, the perceived frontrunner Tedesco (Sergio Castellitto)—who makes no secrets about his alienating views to anyone who will listen–could potentially send the church back to a more conservative era.
Meanwhile, Adeyemi (Game of Thrones star Lucian Msamati) emerges as a contender to become the first Pope of African descent, while Tremblay (Santa Claus: The Movie’s John Lithgow, who I guess has been in some other stuff too) sells himself as someone who represents centrist values as the election looms ahead.
Now, I know what you might be thinking. That all sounds terribly boring, or at the very least tedious. And you know what? I got a little bored even typing that up. But Conclave is far more clever–dare I say it, even mainstream–than it might seem judging from its status as an Oscar hopeful. Of course it has the prestige factor going for it–just look at that cast!–however that doesn’t get in the way of it being almost shockingly entertaining. It’s a popcorn cruncher you can also drink wine during.
Based on a popular novel from 2016 by Robert Harris, and directed by Edward Berger of All Quiet on the Western Front fame, Conclave never feels stilted or pompous about its proceedings, fully aware of how outdated its world of cloth and crucifixes might seem to outsiders. Coffee machines spurt a tad too loudly as they grind the beans, computer monitors shine just a bit too brightly, and the body of the deceased Pope bumps and thuds repeatedly as its rolled out on a stretcher. The old fashioned and iconic image of smoke in the sky signaling there’s no pope is created thanks to an electric device.
In other words, Conclave seems to deliberately treat this technology as anachronistic–there’s just something surreal about the sight of a Cardinal scrolling on a cellphone–despite being a film that takes place firmly in the present. These men and their practices are, on some level, stuck in the past.
They’re also, in many cases, two-faced. No one in Conclave is entirely who they present themselves as, for good or ill, with only Lawrence serving as the anchor trying to keep the ship from sinking around him as he discovers troubling secrets that test everything about his faith. Fiennes is terrific, exemplifying his internal conflict with the subtlest rising of the brow, the slightest elevation of his voice, or the solitary tears he briefly allows himself to sob. Lawrence is a man of God who struggles to even pray anymore, something which seems to be tearing him apart more than he will admit even to himself, yet his morals remain strong as he navigates a pool of backstabbing, lies, and really everything but murder.
That being said, Conclave doesn’t seek out to condemn “sin”; only those who take advantage of it, exploit supposed wrongdoings, and speak against the very ideals they are themselves guilty of. Certainty, Lawrence explains in a homily early on, is the most deadly of sins. Without doubt, there can be no faith, and faith is the very backbone of everything belief in God stands for.
Similar themes, of course, were explored in 2008’s equally strong Pillar thriller Doubt, but it must be said that Conclave lacks that film’s biting humor, instead finding gentle amusement in the unspoken absurdity of everything we are witnessing. As an audience, we feel as though we have snuck into locked doorways, watching something we aren’t meant to, listening to private conversations we secretly know we shouldn’t. And yet we can’t stop ourselves from paying attention. Conclave is simply that compelling, and while the surprise ending may feel like a “statement” rather than an actual conclusion, it is quite satisfying regardless.
I can’t say I’m “certain” that we’ll be hearing about this film during awards season. But I sure do have faith that we will.