A popular pope’s abrupt demise sets off a heated cardinals power struggle as leaders cloister themselves away in the Sistine Chapel to cast rounds of votes to select a successor in “Conclave.”
It is one of this week’s two big theatrical film openings that seem likely to maneuver their way into the year-end awards picture.
In “Conclave,” the one overseeing the tricky papal changing of the guard is Cardinal Lawrence (Ralph Fiennes), a man in the midst of his own spiritual crisis. He grows more agitated and suspects something’s going unsaid as the voting reflects the deep divide (sound familiar?) within the church, where some holy men want to stick with tradition while others seek to maneuver the church into more progressive territory.
Which faction triumphs? The chess-like “Conclave” calculates a checkmate move you’ll never see coming.
Best-selling author Robert Harris came up with the original premise and screenwriter Peter Straughan (“Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy”) has the good sense to pitch that same game-changing curve ball, a brazen act that’s a legit zinger. But it needs more exposition and development than the film ultimately gives it, a late-in-the-game error that contributes in making “Conclave” a good film rather than a great one.
Given that most of the “action” cements itself around pontificating speeches, back-door conversations and puffed-up cardinal chicanery, it might seem like this papal thriller directed by Edward Berger would cure insomnia.
Not so, even if your mind wanders at times.
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Berger does take a sharp turn from the visceral dialogue-deficient barren landscape of his Oscar-winning “All Quiet on the Western Front” and handles Straughan’s dialogue-dense material in an entertaining fashion, focusing on tight closeups of facial expressions, some of which will elicit laughter; maybe a few times in unintended ways.
Everyone in the cast chews up the Vatican City scenery, and those theartics are somewhat warranted. Fiennes expresses the dismay and escalating pressure of being the sounding board and moral center of the decision-making. He observes the top candidates with a wary eye as votes swing back-and-forth like a presidential election (sound familiar?).
The main vote-getters have an agenda, and include: the more liberal Bellini (Stanley Tucci, savoring this meaty dialogue like a famished diner), the shady Trembley (John Lithgow, good at looked befuddled), the grandstanding Tedesco (Serigo Catellitto, doing all his sweeping gestures well) and the possible shoe-in Adeyemi (an impressive Lucian Msamati) – who could make history as the first African pope. The newbie on the scene is do-gooding Cardinal Benitez (newcomer Carlos Diehz), who the pope appointed in Kabul. Relegated to the sidelines stands the all-knowing Sister Agnes (Isabella Rossellini who’s given one of the film’s stand-up-and-cheer scenes) who divulges needed intel at the critical moment.
Shot mostly in a studio in Rome, a sense of authenticity enshrines every facet of “Conclave.” Suzie Davies’s rich production details make it seem like we are all in these ancient rooms where this is happening while Stéphane Fontaine’s cinematography stuns us with unforgettable imagery, including when a violent act occurs outside of the Sistine Chapel. Oscar-winning composer Volker Bertelmann’s distinctive tick-tocking score ratchets up the deadline tension, and likely ensures he’ll be another awards contender.
But even with all that finery assembled and on display, “Conclave” ultimately winds up being cut from the similar well-tailored cloth of other crackerjack succession-oriented tales – except for that late-in-the-game surprise, a secret that should remain a secret until you discover it and talk about it afterwards.
Without it, well, “Conclave” would be classy, but more ordinary.
Contact Randy Myers at soitsrandy@gmail.com.
‘CONCLAVE’
3 stars out of 4
Rated: PG (some thematic material, smoking)
Starring: Ralph Fiennes, Stanley Tucci, John Lithgow, Sergio Castellitto, Isabella Rossellini
Director: Edward Berger
Running time: 2 hours
When & where: Opens Oct. 25 at theaters nationwide
