Ralph Fiennes approaches top form as a spiritually and morally-conflicted cardinal during a Vatican Conclave in Edward Berger’s gripping, oft-humorous follow-up to the multi-Oscar-winning All Quiet On the Western Front.
★★★★☆
“Although we sisters are supposed to be invisible, God has nevertheless given us eyes and ears.” explains Isabella Rossellini’s ever-watchful Sister Agnes to a beleaguered Cardinal Lawrence (Fiennes), burdened with the task of replacing the late Holy Father he very much saw as a father figure. Berger grants us the same voyeuristic access as we shuffle through halls into cafeterias and sterile bed chambers, gleaning information as to possible runners and riders as we go. Lawrence, we are told, holds no aspirations of his own other than to depart his post as soon as the white smoke emerges – but is he being truthful to himself?
Fiennes has robust support in the form of Conclave’s ensemble cast, with Rossellini as enigmatic as ever as she watches the main would-be popes (Stanley Tucci’s reformist Bellini, John Lithgow’s towering Tremblay, Lucian Msamati’s stern Adeyemi and Sergio Castellitto’s vape-toting, bigotry-spewing Tedesco) attempts to out-manoeuvre and out-cavas each other. While Lawrence is able to ride out the initial rounds from the periphery, it isn’t long before his name starts getting mentioned with higher and higher frequency.
Based on a 2016 novel of the same name by Robert Harris, Conclave does stumble into somewhat sensationalist territory in its final scenes – no spoilers here – which does feel at odds with the quiet, seething tension of the film’s terrific first two acts. As the list of names dwindles and the temperature rises, the true colours of those left in the race are gradually revealed, with God’s own words manipulated to support all manner of agendas. Tolerance – be it of religion, race, sexuality or gender – is in short supply, reflecting society’s own race towards spin-able culture wars and polarised viewpoints. All the while, Berger’s film soars in its quieter moments, as Lawrence takes stock of his situation and unlikely ascent.
Already gathering some awards traction thanks to the remarkable success of All Quiet and a buzzy first outing at Telluride, expect to see Berger’s Conclave picking off its adversaries quietly from the sidelines as it stakes its own claim to Hollywood’s Papal equivalent – Best Picture/Best Director next March.
Visit the BFI London Film Festival page to delve deeper into the wealth of films on show this year.
Daniel Green
