CONCLAVE (2024)

The Pope has suddenly died and a new one must be elected via a titular conclave as soon as possible at Vatican City.  Cardinal Law (Ralph Fiennes) has been tasked with running this conclave and must not only ensure that every viable candidate has been properly vetted but that the nominating and voting processes are fair among all other cardinals.  And what results is akin to a courtroom/legal drama with several of the usual trappings including surprise revelations and witnesses.  Edward Berger (All Quiet On the Western Front) directs this highly acclaimed new thriller also co-starring John Lithgow, Stanley Tucci, and Isabelle Rossellini.

Host & Editor: Geoff Gershon
Producer: Marlene Gershon

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Transcript

CONCLAVE – 2024

Directed by Edward Berger

Starring Ralph Fiennes, Stanley Tucci, John Lithgow, Lucian Msamati, Carlo Diehz, Sergio Castellitto, Brian F. O’Bryne, Merab Ninidze, and Isabella Rosellini

Genre: Chamber Drama

If you enjoy all of the typical trappings of a good, old-fashioned legal thriller, then this is the Vatican chamber drama for you. ;) Oscar-nominated director Edward Berger (recent remake of All Quiet On The Western Front) with writer Peter Straughan (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy) deliver ALL of the tropes you would expect from a cracking courtroom drama with aplomb....even though none of this takes place within a courtroom nor involves lawyers for that matter. We've got surprise witnesses, dramatic back-and-forth's, unearthed pieces of crucial evidence, third act revelations, and of course at the center of all of this....a pained yet dogged crusader for the "truth." 

That crusader is Cardinal Lawrence played deftly by one of our greatest living actors, Ralph Fiennes, who regrettably has yet to win HIS Oscar, but might be due this time around. I have been a huge fan of Fiennes since his double-whammy breakout just around thirty years ago co-starring in two Best Picture nominees in a row....Schindler's List and Quiz Show the following year. Two very different movies with two VERY different performances from him but both key in on one standout aspect of his: those inquisitive eyes. Striking blue eyes mind you (though you really can't tell in 'Schindler because it's shown in B&W) which portray some one who is CONSTANTLY trying size up whomever he encounters no matter how pleasant or innocuous the words are coming out of his mouth. He can disarm you while interrogating you, and you're BARELY conscious of what you're giving away until he has already left the room....

We see this quality on full display here as his Cardinal has been tasked with running a conclave at the Vatican to elect a new Pope. He's mainly interacting with other Cardinals, several of whom are vying for the big job....each with their own unique motivations and backstories. Amazingly this never gets convoluted as each of these characters are fleshed out JUST enough to keep them interesting. And this group comprises a stacked cast including John Lithgow, Lucian Msmati, Stanley Tucci, and Sergio Castellito who steals every one of his scenes. Castallito plays the pompous Cardinal Tedesco and even though I kept thinking I had seen this actor before, apparently I had not. 🤔 He's an Italian actor/writer/director and just leaves quite an impression....his Tedesco gets a couple of meaty monologues but honestly, the standout moment for me was just seeing his character hold up a cigarette in the background during one key scene. 

Every one has their moments to shine, not the least of which is Lithgow who also kills it as an entitled Cardinal Tremblay in JUST the manner you would expect from the actor. 😉 Not to mention Isabella Rosellini with pretty much the only major female role as Sister Agnes who is there to help facilitate the conclave. She is only given a few key scenes but really makes the most of them. Beyond that, the whole thing is shot elegantly by DP Stephane Fontaine who also makes the most with limited locations....like I said, this IS a chamber piece set entirely at the Vatican, the intrigue never subsides traversing from room to room. Across the board, this movie just looks AND sounds great!  And at the end of the day, just watching Ralph Fiennes once again really strutting his stuff as a master thespian makes it all worthwhile. :)

Best Needledrop (best song cue or score used throughout runtime of film): 

This film also features a crackling string-heavy score which feels slightly repetitive at points but is still quite effective at keeping the tension running throughout.  It comes to us courtesy of up-and-coming German composer – born in Kreutzal – Volker Bertelman who has been conducting music for film and TV for over 15 years.  There seems to be mainly ONE distinct theme but it’s an effective one, even a bit hummable.  It honestly never lets up and it often feels as if there is always one clanging piano or scraping violin note JUST around the corner to keep you on your toes, it’s propulsive without being bombastic.  My personal favorite piece of music featured is what we hear overhead early on as all windows AND outer doorways at the Vatican are sealed after every one as arrived….it’s almost as if there’s a protective shield coming down over every outdoor view from inside, this track is fittingly called, “Seal the Room.” (Audio clip)

Wasted Talent (most under-utilized talent involved with film): 

If I had one criticism, it would be likely at the structural level….the screenplay by Peter Straughan which gets wonky towards the end.  From that standpoint, I just found the third act of this story a BIT too jam-packed with revelations....never convoluted but slightly overstuffed. It even stretches credulity as to just HOW much is revealed in almost rapid succession all the way to probably the second-to-last scene.  And as a result, it likely weakens the power of these revelations.  But at the very least, it doesn't lessen the power of the story overall….minor criticism.

Trailer Moment (scene or moment that best describes this movie):

As this movie just came out and I’m still processing it, this is a bit of a tricky call.  Also in the interest of full disclosure, I saw this ON Election Nights so I was likely a bit tense and distracted….still REALLY enjoyed it.  In a movie that’s pretty much 99% talking and glares, there is actually ONE genuine suspense sequence which occurs about 2/3 through….it’s pretty simple but it works, it simply involves a door and a ribbon with two different people on opposite sides of said door.  GOOD sequence. 

MVP (person or people most responsible for the success of this film):

Yeah in case it wasn’t already obvious, it’s Fiennes…yes I believe it’s pronounced “FINES” and it’s kind of crazy that three decades after this guy broke out big, we still have critics all over stumbling over his name.  Despite a BIT of a wonky story especially towards the end, he just holds the screen for virtually every minute of the two hour runtime….and it’s SUCH a nuanced performance that I found myself even questioning his character’s intentions at points.  He has ALWAYS been able to straddle that line between sympathetic and nefarious….I mean just going back to the ‘90’s, it felt like he was delivering genuine BANGER performances on a yearly basis in prestige pictures no less….Schindler, Quiz Show, Strange Days, The English Patient, Oscar & Lucinda, The End of the Affair….just a CRAZY strong run!  I mean he’s had some big budget clunkers like The Avengers or Red Dragon but he’s still good in those….and from what I have heard, he NAILED Voldemort in the Harry Potter movies….sorry I just saw the first few.

And over the past decade, he’s still cooking (pun intended)…dishing out unique lead performances in more offbeat stuff like The Grand Budapest Hotel and The Menu….and he’s only been nominated TWICE, what gives?  Yeah he’s DUE and he’s truly captivating here – for delivering what I BELIEVE will be the performance which finally wins him that Oscar….because I’m in the know right??....Ralph Fiennes is the MVP. (Audio clip) 

Overall Rating: 4.25 stars out of 5

Still on the Fiennes talk….I was thinking, is this the BEST he has ever been? Um probably not – his all-time performance is probably still portraying Amon Goeth in ‘Schindler OR….playing Justin Quayle in the seemingly forgotten The Constant Gardener which came out about twenty years ago…..GREAT movie by the way, probably need to review it.  I feel like this is possibly Top Five ALL-TIME for him so check it out!   

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And that ends another PIOUS review!