Movie Review: Conclave

Directed by: Edward Berger
Starring: Ralph Fiennes, Stanley Tucci, John Lithgow
Runtime: 2 hours
Release Date: October 25, 2024
My Rating:

The pope has died and it has fallen upon the Dean of the College of Cardinals to assemble the Church’s Cardinals to elect a new pope via conclave. However, controversy and politics interfere with the process, as they often do in just about every electoral process.

I was reluctant to watch this film given its context but I’ll get into that later. Despite my initial trepidations, I’m glad that I did watch it. This is a good movie giving credence to its eight Oscar nominations. I expect it to win a couple, though I predict Wicked will win Best Picture. The acting is superb and Ralph Fiennes could win the Best Actor award for his role as the Dean of the College of Cardinals, Cardinal Lawrence. The cinematography is also exceptional.

From A Catholic’s Perspective

Let’s face it, Hollywood and the Catholic Church are not exactly the best of friends. They rarely see eye-to-eye and the Church is often on the receiving end of scorn and criticism. This is why I was initially reluctant to watch this movie. When I was 26 years old I chose to sign up for RCIA and I became Catholic in the spring of 2007 and I am still a practicing Catholic.

The first thing I want to say is that, in my opinion, this movie does not disrespect the Catholic Church. The film is very respectful of God and the depiction of Catholic traditions as they pertain to the passing of the Pope and the sacred process of conclave.

Yes, a Cardinal is trying to push a radical agenda, and I think it’s naïve to believe this doesn’t happen. I think it’s also naïve to believe that controversies are not discovered during the conclave process. We should hold Cardinals to the highest standards but humans are flawed. As much as we don’t want to admit it, it’s not so hard to believe that even a Cardinal makes a bad choice. With that said, I pray that the controversies uncovered in this film are a thing of the past and remain fiction.

I will not reveal the final twist at the very end but it is a real condition. Click this link if you want to read about it.

As I said earlier, this is a good movie. The acting is fantastic. I wouldn’t say it is a “Best Picture” but I often disagree with the Motion Picture Academy. I recommend this movie and if you’re Catholic, keep an open mind.

---