‘Conclave’ Review: A Masterclass in Tension Building

Coming off his Oscar-winning adaptation of All Quiet on the Western Front, Edward Berger’s adaptation of the novel, Conclave, by Robert Harris, is an amazing political thriller with plenty of humor and touching moments. This Conclave review was made possible thanks to a screening at the 60th Chicago International Film Festival.

2022’s All Quiet on the Western Front was a huge surprise for me. I had never seen prior versions of the story, but I was absolutely enamored with the direction and sound design of the film, I hoped Edward Berger’s next film would be one I’d be able to watch in a theater rather than on Netflix, and luckily, my wish was granted with his adaptation of the 2016 novel by Robert Harris, Conclave. The film follows the death of a Pope, who leaves Cardinal Thomas Lawrence (Ralph Fiennes) in charge of the Conclave, a process where Church leaders from around the world lock themselves inside the Vatican and vote for the next Pope, as soon as the doors are shut, a chain reaction of conspiracies follows Lawrence at his every move. 

This film is a masterclass in building tension with every scene until an explosive third act reveals a hilarious, and touching revelation. From the opening shot, the Pope is already dead, and the audience is thrown into chaos, as Lawrence tries to find a worthy successor for his deceased friend. He turns to his colleagues, Cardinal Bellini (Stanley Tucci), Lawrence’s closest friend, and Sister Agnes (Isabella Rossellini) for help as those with opposing agendas plan to regress the Church and make plays for the Papacy (Sergio Castellitto & John Lithgow).

Almost every scene after the doors are shut adds another conspiracy onto Lawrence’s shoulders, while not knowing who to trust, his psyche is nearly shattered as he is being pulled in every direction by somebody else’s plan for the future of the Church. I wasn’t prepared for how political this film would be — Castellitto’s performance as Tedesco, a conservative Cardinal whose plan to regress the Church resembles real-world political leaders makes the film even more interesting. As Lawrence’s struggles continue to pile on top of him, Volker Bertelmann’s orchestral score suffocates the audience as new information gets found out, putting viewers on the edge of their seats. 

Stéphane Fontaine’s deeply saturated cinematography purposely captures Lawrence’s mental warfare as he is locked inside the Vatican with hundreds of other leaders with opposing opinions. Fiennes’s performance is easily one of the best of the year, you understand the mental turmoil he’s dealing with just by the exhausted look in his eyes, he’s tired of this, and he just wants to get it over with while making sure the Church has a good future. 

Conclave boasts a wonderful ensemble of Church leaders conspiring against one another to achieve power, from Fiennes’ struggles to the scene-stealing soft spoken Isabella Rossellini, and the aggravated Stanley Tucci, there are plenty of awards contenders for this year’s upcoming awards season. Berger has crafted a phenomenal film from Peter Straughan’s screenplay, adapted from the novel, that is easily one of my favorites of the year.

Conclave premiered at the 51st Telluride Film Festival on August 30th, 2024. Focus Features will be releasing the film on October 25th, 2024. Conclave was written by Peter Straughan and directed by Edward Berger, starring Ralph Fiennes, Stanley Tucci, Isabella Rossellini, John Lithgow, Sergio Castellitto, and Lucian Msamati.

If you liked this Conclave review consider reading more of our reviews here at Feature First.