Conclave (film)

Conclave
US theatrical release poster
Directed by	Edward Berger
Screenplay by	Peter Straughan
Based on	Conclave by Robert Harris
Produced by	Tessa Ross Juliette Howell Michael Jackman Alice Dawson Robert Harris
Starring	Ralph Fiennes Stanley Tucci John Lithgow Sergio Castellitto Isabella Rossellini
Cinematography	Stéphane Fontaine
Edited by	Nick Emerson
Music by	Volker Bertelmann
Production companies	FilmNation Entertainment House Productions
Distributed by	Black Bear UK (United Kingdom) Focus Features (United States)
Release dates	30 August 2024 (2024-08-30) (Telluride) 25 October 2024 (2024-10-25) (United States) 29 November 2024 (2024-11-29) (United Kingdom)
Running time	120 minutes
Countries	United Kingdom United States
Language	English
Budget	$20 million
Box office	$7.3 million

Conclave is a 2024 mystery thriller film directed by Edward Berger and written by Peter Straughan, based on the 2016 novel of the same name by Robert Harris. The film stars Ralph Fiennes, Stanley Tucci, John Lithgow, Sergio Castellitto, and Isabella Rossellini. In the film, Cardinal Thomas Lawrence (Fiennes) organizes a papal conclave to elect the next pope, and finds himself investigating secrets and scandals about each candidate.

Conclave premiered at the 51st Telluride Film Festival on 30 August 2024, was theatrically released in the United States by Focus Features on 25 October 2024, and is scheduled to be released in the United Kingdom by Black Bear UK on 29 November. The film received positive reviews from critics, with specific praise for the performances and cinematography.

Plot

After the Pope dies of a heart attack, the College of Cardinals gathers in seclusion for a papal conclave to choose the new pope, under the leadership of Cardinal-Dean Thomas Lawrence. The College is surprised to meet Archbishop Benitez of Kabul, who explains that the old pope secretly made him a cardinal.

The four main candidates for pope are: 1) Bellini, a liberal in the vein of the late pope, 2) Adeyemi, an economic progressive with socially conservative views, 3) Tremblay, a mainstream conservative, and 4) Tedesco, a traditionalist who wants to abandon parts of the Second Vatican Council, particularly the use of vernacular languages in mass (Novus Ordo) and the policy of peaceful coexistence with other religions (Nostra aetate). Tedesco is also a racist and mistreats his assistants.

Bellini and Lawrence are the two leaders of the Church's liberal wing, but neither claims to want the job; Bellini believes that feigning reluctance will earn voters' respect. Lawrence's position is more complicated, as he recently tried to resign his post as Dean due to a crisis of faith. Although Lawrence votes for Bellini, Bellini senses that Lawrence is withholding his full support.

Before the first vote, Lawrence gives a speech encouraging the cardinals to embrace diversity, which is seen as a campaign speech. In addition, although Lawrence is not supposed to contact the outside world in conclave, he begins gathering opposition research against several leading candidates, rationalizing to himself that he is merely conducting an independent investigation to protect the Church. The late pope's confidant tells Lawrence that the pope demanded Tremblay's resignation before dying. Tremblay denies this and offers an eyewitness, who defends Tremblay but mentions a report that was "withdrawn."

After the first vote, no candidate is close to the two-thirds majority needed for election. However, Adeyemi has a slight edge, and Bellini and Lawrence split the liberal vote. Without a unity candidate, the liberals consolidate behind Adeyemi. Bellini, who despises Adeyemi's homophobia, secretly agrees to support Tremblay's candidacy in exchange for a prestigious bureaucratic appointment.

One of the nuns (who handle catering for the conclave) causes a stir by confronting Adeyemi in the cardinals' refectory. She confesses to Lawrence that she had a son with Adeyemi when she was 19 and he 30. Lawrence confronts Adeyemi, who confirms the story. Although Lawrence is duty-bound to keep the secret, a whisper campaign derails the latter's candidacy. Adeyemi suspects a setup, as the nun had never left Nigeria before appearing at the conclave. The head nun, Sister Agnes, informs Lawrence that Tremblay transferred the nun to the Vatican. Lawrence tries to blackmail Tremblay into stepping down, but Tremblay proudly admits to exposing Adeyemi and accuses Lawrence of coveting the papacy for himself.

Lawrence breaks into the late pope's apartment and finds documents showing that Tremblay bribed cardinals for votes. Bellini urges Lawrence to burn the documents, but reconsiders and switches his support to Lawrence. Lawrence and Agnes ruin Tremblay's reputation by publicizing his bribery, leaving Lawrence and Tedesco as the only remaining candidates.

During the fifth vote, a suicide bomber attacks the Vatican, killing 52 people and damaging the Sistine Chapel. Tedesco blames Islamists and calls for the Church to fight against Islam. Benitez asks "What do you know of war?", while he has seen its true cost during his time in the Congo, Baghdad, and Kabul, and that the Church must move forward rather than cling to tradition. He also scolds the cardinals for focusing on politics and schemes over their religious mission. Moved, the cardinals elect Benitez as pope.

Shortly before Benitez's election is announced, Lawrence is informed that the late pope had paid for Benitez to visit a clinic for a laparoscopic hysterectomy – news that would force Benitez to step down if made public. He confronts Benitez, who explains that he did not know he was any different until he had an appendectomy as an adult and the surgeon discovered that he has a uterus. He is intersex, assigned male at birth, and has a penis, uterus, and ovaries. Benitez chose to keep his female organs, as "I am as God made me." Lawrence keeps Benitez's secret, as his loyalty to the old pope exceeds his ambition. He stares out his dormitory window as the crowds cheer Benitez's election.

Cast

• Ralph Fiennes as Thomas Cardinal Lawrence, a British liberal and the Dean of the College of Cardinals
• Stanley Tucci as Aldo Cardinal Bellini, an American liberal
• John Lithgow as Joseph Cardinal Tremblay, a Canadian conservative
• Sergio Castellitto as Goffredo Cardinal Tedesco, an Italian traditionalist
• Isabella Rossellini as Sister Agnes, the cardinals' head caterer and housekeeper
• Lucian Msamati as Joshua Cardinal Adeyemi, a Nigerian social conservative and economic progressive
• Carlos Diehz as Vincent Cardinal Benitez, a little-known archbishop working in Afghanistan
• Brían F. O'Byrne as Monsignor Raymond O'Malley, Lawrence's assistant and opposition researcher
• Merab Ninidze as Cardinal Sabbadin
• Thomas Loibl as Archbishop Mandorff
• Jacek Koman as Archbishop Woźniak, the Prefect of the Papal Household and the late pope's confidant
• Loris Loddi as Cardinal Villanueva

Production

It was announced in May 2022 that Ralph Fiennes, John Lithgow, Stanley Tucci and Isabella Rossellini were set to star in the film, with Edward Berger directing. Additional casting was announced in January 2023 as production began in Rome. Filming also took place in Cinecittà. Filming concluded in March.

Release

In August 2022, Black Bear Pictures' newly founded British distribution arm acquired U.K. distribution rights to the film from FilmNation Entertainment, serving as one of its first acquisitions and maiden releases in the United Kingdom; Black Bear's company Elevation Pictures also serves as Canadian distributor. Steven Rales served as one of the executive producers, co-financing the film via his production company, Indian Paintbrush.

In November 2023, Focus Features acquired U.S. distribution rights to the film. In July 2024, Conclave was announced as part of the Special Presentations section for the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival scheduled for September 8, 2024. The film would subsequently be announced as part of the lineup for the Telluride Film Festival, where it will have its world premiere. Venice Film Festival director Alberto Barbera explained why the film did not play at Venice: "I didn't think it was a Competition film for Venice but I invited it Out of Competition. We tried to figure out timing for it to play here and at Telluride, which they also wanted, but we couldn't find the right dates and timing for it to work. We discussed various options but couldn't get the time that suited everyone. It's a shame."

The film was released in the United States on 25 October 2024. It was previously scheduled for a limited theatrical release on 1 November before opening wide on the following week. It is scheduled to be released in the United Kingdom on 29 November.

Reception

Box office

In the United States and Canada, Conclave was released alongside Venom: The Last Dance, and was projected to gross $4–6 million from 1,753 theaters in its opening weekend. The film made $2.5 million on its first day, including $500,000 from Thursday night previews. It went on to debut to $6.5 million, finishing in third; 77% of its audience was over 35 years old, while 67% was Caucasian.

Critical response

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 92% of 142 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 8/10. The website's consensus reads: "Carrying off papal pulp with immaculate execution and career-highlight work from Ralph Fiennes, Conclave is a godsend for audiences who crave intelligent entertainment." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 79 out of 100, based on 38 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews. Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B+" on an A+ to F scale, while those surveyed by PostTrak gave it an 84% overall positive score, with 62% saying they would "definitely recommend" it.

The film's cinematography received praise. The film's ensemble cast was also praised, with Fiennes' and Castellitto's performances receiving particular acclaim.

The plot received some criticism, with Katie Walsh of the Los Angeles Times calling it "a pretty thin and silly mystery ... that seems like it's deeper than it actually is." IndieWire's David Ehrlich agreed that the film was "very silly but wonderfully staged ... even if the film might be a bit too convinced of its own dramatic import." The Chicago Tribune's Michael Phillips praised the film's "delicious portraits in pursuit, deceit and evasion," but noted that the climactic suicide bombing was "the most shameless coincidental timing of a huge explosion since who knows when."

Vanity Fair's Richard Lawson said that the film rightly portrayed "both the seriousness of [the conclave] process and the campy ridiculousness of it," and thought that the film "touch[es] fingers with prestige greatness while keeping its feet firmly planted in the realm of rollicking entertainment." Manohla Dargis of the New York Times noted that the film's stance towards the Catholic Church mirrors Hollywood's own stance towards its film industry: "lightly cynical, self-flattering and finally myth-stoking."

Critics disagreed on the final twist regarding Benitez's sexual organs. Lawson called it "reckless" and insufficiently thought through, while Variety's Peter Debruge called it "one of the most satisfying twists in years, a Hail Mary that both surprises and restores one's faith (maybe not everyone's, but certainly that of the disillusioned)."

Religious response

John Mulderig of the Catholic OSV News opined that in Conclave, "rival viewpoints within the church are caricatured with a broad brush ... and the deck is predictably stacked in favor of those who advocate change." He warned that "all moviegoers committed to the church’s creeds will want to approach this earnest, visually engaging but manipulative — and sometimes sensationalist — production with caution." The Archdiocese of Los Angeles' Angelus magazine complimented several of the actors' performances but dismissed the film, writing that "The problem here is not that it is full of bias against the Catholic Church. The problem is that it is just plain bad. ... At the crucial moment, [Benitez] gives a speech so full of platitudes it could have been written by ChatGPT." On the other hand, the progressive National Catholic Reporter praised the film, calling it "a compelling and ecclesial call for a renewed spiritual stewardship characterized by humility, meekness, and, curiously, doubt."

Kate Lucky of Christianity Today, an evangelical publication, called the film "gorgeous" and "riveting", and said that "though the film subtly advances progressive convictions, it gives cardinals of all ideological persuasions equal opportunity to fall short."

Accolades

Award	Ceremony date	Category	Recipient(s)	Result	Ref.
San Sebastián International Film Festival	28 September 2024	Golden Seashell	Conclave	Nominated
Mill Valley Film Festival	16 October 2024	Audience Overall Favorite		Won
Camerimage	23 November 2024	Golden Frog for Best Cinematography	Stéphane Fontaine	Pending

See also

• List of current cardinals
• Papabile
• Papal conclave

External links

• Conclave at IMDb