Conclave

 

Oscar-winning director Edward Berger's Conclave is as pristine as the marble floors of the Vatican halls that serve as the location for this engrossing adaptation of Robert Harris's novel of the same name. The screenplay, which I suspect will get nods during awards season as will the film itself, is by dramatist Peter Straughan, and involves the election of a pope after the sudden death of a beloved though controversial pontiff.

The film presents with immaculate precision the age-old process of convening the College of Cardinals -- a segment of the Curia, the body that runs the Vatican -- to select the church's new leader from among its 100+ members. Berger doesn't dwell too long on the machinery, which is as byzantine as the garments worn by these princes of the church. He prefers to dive quickly into the politics that permeates everything in the Holy See.

Ralph Fiennes is splendid as the reluctant dean of the College, whose job it is to "manage" the election, which straightaway becomes mired in turfism, with liberal and conservative factions naming their champions and carving up the delegates. At one point, Fiennes's character, Cardinal Lawrence, who is in the midst of a private crisis of faith, compares the conclave to a political convention. It's not as much of a throwaway line as one might think, which becomes clear as the story progresses, hidden agendas and secret transactions are revealed.

Lawrence's closest ally is the liberal Cardinal Bellini (Stanley Tucci), who was a confidante of the late pope and the man Lawrence would like to see as head of the church. Bellini says he would refuse the election if chosen, but his actions suggest otherwise.

Several others whose ideologies range from moderate to ultra-conversative (played by John Lithgow, Lucian Msamati and Sergio Castellitto) are much more deliberate in making their intentions (ambitions) known.

An additional complication is the arrival of the newly installed Cardinal Benitez (Mexican actor Carlos Diehz), who was secretly anointed as archbishop of Kabul, Afghanistan. He's unknown to the other cardinals and so little attention is paid to him, his arrival or the impact he will have on the election (and only a cinema novice would think likewise).

The august body is sequestered in the Sistine Chapel to make their choice, and they will stay locked away until a candidate wins a majority of the votes. With each passing ballot, and explosive discovery, the field gets smaller and tensions mount.

How much does Catholicism play into the drama? The church's practices, dealings with marginalized communities and failures regarding children will likely register more with observers of that tradition than others. But the film's overarching issues of conscience and truth will have universal resonance with those open to personal reflection using the picture's intrigues as a backdrop.

Highly recommended.