Matt at the Movies: Conclave
Matt sifts through papal paranoia in the Vatican to highly recommend "Conclave."
Give me movies with a Catholicism theme or even C-plot storyline and I’m all in.
For all of the church’s turbulent history, there is something to be said about its lore that makes for compelling filmmaking. The range of films in this genre is limitless. Classic horrors films such as The Exorcist or Rosemary’s Baby feature demonic elements and unnerving dread. Another archetype is the small parish quirky priest trying to make a difference, from 1944’s Bing Crosby classic Going My Way to the 2014 Brendan Gleason Irish coastal town drama Calvary.
Key scenes in The Godfather trilogy show how the Catholic Church can serve as the backbone for a character's moral compass (or lack thereof) and family structure. A darker, more sinister side of the faith is explored in 2008’s star-studded Doubt and the Oscar winning best picture Spotlight.
Even Martin Scorsese has built a small cottage industry with The Last Temptation of Christ and Silence as part of his career-long exploration of the Catholic faith. Large scale or small, Catholicism has long served as a vehicle for Hollywood storytelling.
The Iconic Catholic Films
Before we dive into today’s film, let’s take a look at the slate from the past fifteen years for Matt at the Movies most iconic Catholic-themed films.
Honorable Mention: The New Pope (2020)
This (technically) is ineligible due to it being a mini-series on HBO, but the series is an absolute must see viewing before watching Conclave. The style, tone, and vibrant energy of life in Vatican City under the new leadership of Pope Francis II (played by Jude Law) is an incredible satirical take on life inside the world's smallest country.
10. The Rite (2011)
Your prototypical supernatural demonic possession film (say that five times fast) that incorporates two things I love: first, the disillusioned Father Kovak is sent to the Vatican in Rome to study exorcisms. Second, his mentor is two-time Oscar winning actor Anthony Hopkins playing Father Xavier. It’s great to see Hopkins take over the screen during his scenes in an otherwise average movie i
9. A Hidden Life (2019)
Director Terrence Malick has always been a magician behind the lens. His ability to capture the aesthetic of our planet adds depth to his slow burn, intense dramas.
A Hidden Life is set in the Austrian Alps we see an idyllic The Sounds of Music setting dropped into the reality of WWII. Father Franz is directed to head off to fight for the Nazi’s and he refuses citing his faith which leads to ostracization for the family within their community and serious criminal charges during a time of war.
8. Silence (2016)
The third film in Martin Scorcese’s faith trilogy (following The Last Temptation of Christ and Kundun) follows two Jesuit priests in search of their mentor, who vanished years ago, in 17th century Japan. It is a raw and bleak film that explores how far someone will go to stand behind their faith. Starring Andrew Garfield and Adam Driver, this would be an excellent paring with this year's best streaming show, Shōgun.
7. The Pope’s Exorcist (2023)
An extremely loos “based on a true story,” this film covers some of the exploits of Father Gabriele Amorth, exorcist for the Diocese of Rome. Almost to the point of camp, Russell Crowe is an absolute joy to watch as he solves cases of demonic possession before running into a formidable satanic foe. You can never beat a pic of an overweight Crowe riding a Vespa an unthinkable distance from Rome to Castile, Spain.
6. Calvary (2014)
The film starts with a confession to Father James, played by Brendan Gleeson in an award worthy performance, where the confessor tells the priest he plans on killing him in the next week. From here we are off to the races as everyone seems to have a personal gripe with the church and each has reasons to be the killer. Great performances all around.
5. The First Omen (2024)
One of the best horror films his year, The First Omen is the origin story of Damien, who will become the Antichrist.
American novitiate Margaret arrives in Rome to finish her training to become a nun. There is conspiracy abound as the whispers of a cult to establish the spawn of Satan as a last ditch effort to unify against the rise of secularism in the world. Margaret experiences several gruesome scenes and visions trying to uncover the truth while unknowingly playing a part in the scheme herself.
4. The Two Popes (2019)
Set after the Vatican Leaks scandal of 2012, Pope Benedict XVI (Anthony Hopkins) invites Archbishop Jorge Mario Bergoglio to Rome to sway him from the intentions of resigning his post. Bergoglio, played by Jonathan Pryce, debates with Benedict on the role of the church in today’s society. As the two form a relationship Pope Benedict tells of his plans to resign. As the two discuss their views on faith and doubt they leave as friends.
Within a year, the papal conclave will name Bergoglio as Pope Francis.
3. Angels & Demons (2009)
Dan Brown’s first Robert Langdon-based film follows the Harvard Religious Iconology professor to the Vatican as murders, kidnapping, as well as the groundbreaking discovery of “The God Particle” at CERN is stolen by the Illuminati set to blow up within the city walls within twenty-four hours.
To make things more dramatic the Pope has recently died and the papal conclave has gathered to select the head of the faith.
Langdon, played by Tom Hanks, is helped by CERN researcher Vittoria, as well as the Pope’s personal aide Camerlengo Ventresca (Ewan McGregror) to thwart this plan before it’s too late. Not an amazing film by any means, but it has great rewatch-ability for all that is far-fetched.
2. First Reformed (2017)
Director Paul Schrader’s first of his self-proclaimed “man in a room” trilogy features Reverend Toller (Ethan Hawke), who is going through his personal crisis of purpose and faith in his small congregation in Albany, NY. Toller meets a young pregnant woman (Amanda Seyfried) who wants guidance over the decision to have an abortion as her radical-environmentalist husband does not want to bring a child in a world that cannot weather climate change. As Toller tries to provide spiritual guidance to the couple, his past strife catches up with him to an electric third act.
Hawke is amazing in this dramatic thriller and his performance alone is worth the watch.
1. Spotlight (2015)
The Oscar-winner for Best Picture follows the Boston Globe’s investigative team as they uncover decades of sexual abuse by priests systemically swept under the rug by the Boston Archdiocese. The deeper the team goes into the past, the victims affected, and documents leading them to this mass cover up, the more pressure they feel from the Church as a roadblock to finding the truth.
The film has powerful performances, great pacing, and puts the church on public trial that propels others to unearth the sexual misconduct happening in parishes around the globe.
And now, on to today’s film …
Matt at the Movies Review: Conclave
There’s a reason they called the old Yankee Stadium the “cathedral of baseball”. It was grandiose, exuded wealth, and most importantly was a sustaining powerhouse that has spanned the history of the sport.
The Catholic Church however, has been at it for well over a millennium. Something about the epicenter of the Roman Catholic faith, particularly Vatican City, always lures me in. The Swiss Guards fully adorned as you walk through St. Peter’s Square, or the staggering mass of space as you enter the basilica. The gallery of tapestries that stretch almost a football field long; the priceless heirlooms at every turn.
The overwhelming sense you feel standing in the center of the Sistine Chapel staring at one of the most beautiful and important rooms in the world brought tears to my eyes. You can feel the weight of history on your shoulders. Two thousand years of one of the most powerful entities in world history staring back at you. This room where Michelangelo spent four years of his life with his neck arched on scaffolding creating a masterpiece fresco which made him immortal as well.
This chapel is also where all cardinals all around the have gathered since 1878 to elect the new pope in its papal conclave.
Edward Berger’s last 2022 film, All Quiet on the Western Front, won the Academy Award for Best International Feature. It was a gorgeous looking adaptation that was shot as if an ominous cloud was lingering over each frame. The director made small closeup conversations feel as large as the massive action set pieces that swept over Western Front. He also used the adaptation of the book script to lead the way so we could feel the pain of strife of the lead characters.
Berger’s new film Conclave is an adaptation of the 2016 Robert Harris novel, and once again he crafts amazing set pieces to add to the dramatic tension as the written story speaks for itself. His style of enhancing the aura of the scenes while not getting in the way has proven to be successful as his fourth feature film will create a lot of noise within the Academy come awards season (and rightly so). Let’s dig a little deeper into today’s film which is currently playing at our favorite theater, The Independent Picture House.
In a Nutshell
Cardinal Lawrence (Ralph Fiennes) arrives at the papal residence shortly after the Pope’s death. He pieces together the events of his passing while mourning the last conversation they had, where Lawrence was denied a resignation as the dean of the College of Cardinals.
It seems the previous pope knew Cardinal Lawrence had a more important role to carry out and the faith in him to do it in the best interest of the church.
As the months pass, the next papal conclave is assembled as Cardinals from across the globe gather in Vatican City to elect the next head of the Roman Catholic Church. There are multiple front runners including the traditionalist Italian Cardinal Tedesco, progressive American Cardinal Bellini (Stanley Tucci), and conservative moderates Cardinal Adeyemi of Nigeria as well as Cardinal Tremblay from Canada (played by John Lithgow).
As the first vote looms there are suspicious activities of the past that have come to light ranging from Cardinal Tremblay’s final conversation with the Pope, to a newly unearthed archbishop who was secretly elevated to the title of Cardinal Benitez during the final year of the pope’s life.
As leader of the conclave, Cardinal Lawrence must inquire through various channels outside of the isolation period to discover the Holy Father’s intentions before his death, while vetting the potential candidates for the papacy. After each round of voting we see sects of cardinals discuss liberal and conservative ideologies as each candidate must vie for a two-thirds vote to be elected as the next leader of the faith.
Time is money, why should I go?
It seems the timing of this movie’s release -with presidential elections in the U.S. less than a week away - is intentional or at least fortuitous. A common theme we see is discussion of who is the right person to lead the church into the future.
These men of God are also just that: men. They’re all susceptible to the vices of power and hubris. The film is heavy on conversations as each cardinal must decide in their own heart where their allegiance should lie.
I found myself thinking of films from The Social Network to 12 Angry Men as the dialogue was the main driver of the story.
The cardinals seem to be in flux as to where the direction of church should sway. Cardinal Tedesco of Italy is conservative and sees a future holy war against Islam imminent after decades of leftist papal doctrine has weakened the strength of the church. Cardinals Bellini and Lawrence are progressives who don’t want to see the church go backwards into a close-minded past that will push away their followers. Each candidate vying for the spot must reach out to separate factions from around the globe to court their support as each round of voting plays out.
The back door deals, closed room conversations, and shady underbelly of politics serve a great analogy to our current system in America.
Star of the Show
Ralph Fiennes is a big screen treasure.
His career shows incredible range: detestable characters such as Amon Goeth in Schindler’s List and Voldemort; a loving husband in The Constant Gardener; a foul-mouthed mob boss of In Bruges. He has the charm and proper upper-class English je ne sais quoi that shines in one of his most iconic roles as M. Gustave in The Grand Budapest Hotel; he can also use that gravitas to pull the rug out from under the viewer in films like 2022’s The Menu.
This film employs all of Fiennes’ best qualities as Cardinal Lawrence. He is caring and reserved while still showing bravery to carry out his sworn duties as dean of the College of Cardinals. He must maneuver the machine of politics to ensure that each of the potential candidates has the best intentions of the church as well as the faith to lead. His job seems to be both managerial and inquisitive as he needs to decipher the final months of recently deceased pope’s murky decisions that implicate many of those vying for the position. It’s a beautiful nuanced performance that should garner Fiennes his third well-deserved acting Oscar nomination.
Don’t Sleep On
Stanley Tucci as Cardinal Bellini.
A lifelong character actor, his career of wonderful supporting roles from The Devil Wears Prada to Julie & Julia to Easy A all provide a steady hand in support of the main characters predicaments. In this film he is called on to be a potential candidate for pope, and a voice of reason for the liberal faction of the College of Cardinals. He showcases confidence, reluctance, and doubt as each round of voting is completed.
Tucci’s character must wrestle with the weight of what the position brings as well as allowing his fellow champions within the conclave to fight on his behalf. As the voting turns he goes through an inner crisis of his own faith that brought him to the decision to run in the first place. Tucci should be a strong candidate for best supporting actor this year.
Best Ten Minute Stretch
The third act is a wild ride, with a few explosive disclosures that play out and eliminate leading candidates from contention. As Cardinal Lawrence susses out each new revelation it feels as if a new layer of an onion is being exposed (sorry kids, no Cardinal Shrek).
There is a major twist which we won’t divulge but it led to one of the funniest lines I’ve heard spoken by an audience member in my lifetime of watching films.
During one of the most revealing conversations the tension is at its critical moment as the well-seasoned and very southern couple directly to my left gasped at the reveal, with the husband in total disbelief. In the most earnest way possible, he exclaimed, “Well that’s a curveball!”
My wife and I could not contain our laughter at the absurdity of his line to what he just heard in the film. It made an already great viewing experience an all-time great theater watch for me personally.
You can have the best writers, but sometimes it’s all in the delivery.
Coulda Used More …
College of Cardinals logistics shots!
Berger created some master-level set pieces that showcase the Cardinals, the sort I haven’t seen since Paolo Sorrento’s hyper stylized HBO mini-series The New Pope. The costume department is on point with the various styles that showcase the pomp of Catholicism. From evening meals to full conclave assemblies to walking throughout the grounds, watching masses of cardinals being transported by any means was such a visual feast to support the dialogue heavy script.
MatM Score: Highly Recommend - 8.5
A visual treat featuring great individual performances.