Conclave

Edward Berger’s previous film All Quiet on the Western Front ended up being amongst my favourite films of 2022 with its great characters, engaging story, excellent cinematography and impactful sound design. His followup Conclave is a more muted experience than All Quiet on the Western Front but just as thrilling, and it in fact surpasses the latter. Conclave is essentially a series of conversations between various cardinals to determine who will become the new pope after the previous one passed away. While my enjoyment of the film waned slightly as it continued, I was pulled back in by the end. I can comfortably say that I thoroughly liked this film. 

The key element that makes this film work is the performances, which are excellent across the board. Ralph Fiennes has always been an actor I’ve deeply enjoyed, and this is possibly his best work to date. He is able to handle apprehension and emotional nuance with this role while also being able to bring a decent amount of wit when necessary. He absolutely steals the show here and is a contender for the best performance I’ve seen all year. However, don’t think this is simply a one-man show with Fiennes overpowering every other performance, because that is not the case. The entire ensemble shines here, though Stanley Tucci is the other main standout. He, like Fiennes, gives potentially his career best performance as he skillfully blends concern and comedy.

The film as a whole has far more humour and levity than I was expecting. But rather than feeling like jokes have been hand-crafted by a writer and force-fed to the actors, the comedy simply comes from natural conversations between people that have a sense of humour. The man who best exemplifies how surprisingly lighthearted these intense stakes feel is Sergio Castelitto as Cardinal Tedesco. He brings this campy, mustache-twirling villain to life without feeling over the top or out of place and gets to show off his dramatic chops towards the end. 

Yet despite its pulpy nature, the film does have thematic heft. It largely focuses on the politics within the church, the ethical issues that arise when choosing a new pope, and what decisions need to be made for the future of the church. Rather than just say the church is inherently bad, it decides to center on the conflict between progressive and conservative values in the church. Many of these scenes are highly elevated by Berger’s direction, which excellently creates tension even during a mere conversation. Sometimes, the camera slowly moves in during a scene of two people talking and allows you to subtly become more immersed in their conversation, which may not necessarily be flashy but is a pivotal directing choice nonetheless. There are also some beautiful shots throughout this film that may be simplistic on the surface but are quite well-framed through its unique use of lighting and colour. 

The score is another element of the film that is quite good, though it does have its issues. There are scenes that would have been more effective if the score had been more muted or even completely removed since the audience would be able to let the scenes sink in rather than be distracted by a blaring score. Often, the score is used beautifully to escalate the film’s tension, but the film would have benefited from holding back in other scenes real tension in some scenes simply. The truly gripping scenes would have been that more amplified by the pounding score. 

As mentioned earlier, my interest waned slightly as the film went on since it felt a bit repetitive, like with the numerous voting sequences. Still, I am mostly nitpicking at this point because Conclave is a strong, accomplished piece of filmmaking. With its odd blend of comedy and tension, superb cast, and fascinating direction, it has solidified Berger as a director to keep note of. I look forward to seeing what he makes next. 

8/10