Conclave (2024)

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Conclave (2024)

This is the most substantive and engaging film I’ve seen in several years. It’s an intelligent adult tale of intrigue and suspense with a dream heavyweight cast that languishes in the mix of superb direction, cinematography, set design and highly effective but spare music scoring.

Hearing of the film, my first thought was how could another story about a papal conclave --the selection of a new Pope by the College of Cardinals-- be fresh and interesting, when several films or series with similar content have been produced in the past few years.

However Conclave quickly forged its own genuineness from the very first few scenes, and continued to inspire fascination all the way to the end. Ralph Fiennes as the Cardinal-Dean who is tasked with overseeing the election of a new Pope is stunning in his nuanced and complex portrayal-- surely to be an award nominating performance. Stanley Tucci and John Lithgow display their craft as two fine veteran actors. And Isabella Rossellini channels her famous mother (Ingrid Bergman) as she inhabits Sister Agnes’ rock solid earnestness and fealty to her charge.

The story is not so much an attempt to expose or even document true legislative Vatican practices, as it is a well crafted behind the scenes thriller. There is a surprise ending that no one could see coming. In my view the twist it contained was not only unnecessary but modishly pretentious. Still, that unlikely development did not lessen the heft of the entire absorbing story that preceded it.

Doc’s rating: 9/10



Allaby's Avatar
Registered User
I really liked Conclave It is juicer than expected. It has scheming, secrets and scandals. Ralph Fiennes is excellent and Stanley Tucci is fantastic too. The score is great and the cinematography and production design are very good too. Conclave has a sharp, well written screenplay with some wonderful dialogue. Currently, Conclave is my 4th favourite film of the year. I predict it will get at least 6 Oscar nominations, including best picture and director and will likely win best adapted screenplay.



Registered User
Good movie but I don't understand all the praise.



I didn’t have much interest in this at first. But reading a bit more into it and watching the first 10 minutes I realized this might be really good. I didn’t have time ti actually finish it then, but I’m surely gonna watch it before the Oscars…



Wrote about it a couple of weeks ago in the rate the last movie you watch thread.
I absolutely loved it. Didn't think a story about Papal election would be so engaging.

On a side note, I am disappointed that not many people are talking about this moment.


Up there With Ralph Fiennes' 'You're an inanimate f**king object' bit from In Bruges, when it comes to best unintentional comedy moments.
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Best propaganda piece of the year.



Up there With Ralph Fiennes' 'You're an inanimate f**king object' bit from In Bruges, when it comes to best unintentional comedy moments.
Um, I thought that bit - besides a lot of other moments in In Bruges, most of them in fact - was intentionally funny.

As for the Conclave... enjoyable little movie, but I was never seriously sold on the importance of picking "the next freakin' POP" in it. The cast and the direction (especially in the voting scenes) help, but a mature and interesting inside look into the system this ain't, which I had hoped it would be.



The Guy Who Sees Movies
I liked it, having been thankfully not part of Vatican Intrigues. It was fun as a low action "thriller". There are not many of those around.



Thursday Next's Avatar
I never could get the hang of Thursdays.
I liked Conclave but didn't love it. I had hoped it would be a little more serious and subtle. A lot of if was very on the nose and the ending was a bit daft. Ralph Fiennes was good though.



Also answers to Jabba
I really disliked all the artificial intrigue the movie tries to create. The direction was incredibly indifferent, and so were most of the performances. However, what really had me rolling my eyes throughout was the plot itself.

WARNING: spoilers below
Somehow the fact that most major players have a skeleton in their closet that comes out in the last minute to exclude them from the position is one of the more believable aspects of the story.

The fact that not one, but two terrorist attacks happen at the same time seems to be a cherry on top.

But when we are really entering bad writing territory is when a secret cardinal nobody has ever heard of shows up out of nowhere. If you've seen a handful of Hollywood films you can be assured of the absurdity that is about to ensue. He will somehow be elected Pope. Cinderella retold.

As for the last reveal of him being both man and woman, it was nothing other than Hollywood propaganda shoved down your throat, that made this from simply mainstream bad to really unwatchable.



The Guy Who Sees Movies
Intrigues have always been part of fiction and some of the history about the Vatican. The whole gender thing is today's version of the kind of theological blather that has happened for centuries....holy visions that nobody else sees, weeping statues, popes and anti-popes, visits from saints and angels, etc. I recall one novel that postulated that the Vatican was in possession of the body of Jesus, but didn't want anybody to know. Most of that got used up centuries ago when its credibility declined, so today's version of that would have to be some sort of gender crossover like the "surprise ending". Different scandal, different century.





Not a fan of the style of this sort of essay, but the film is, in some ways, thin and the essay brings this to the fore.



I enjoyed Conclave for what it was. An entertaining thriller in the old style. It's not deep and the plot is silly. But I enjoy Dan Brown thrillers, so I am used to that. Lots of good actors to enjoy.
But then the ending...the stupid, stupid ending.
WARNING: spoilers below
Yes, a man who is really a woman, will straighten out all those corrupt men.

JFC!



The Guy Who Sees Movies
That's pretty much my take. For a couple of hours, I think I know what really goes on behind the curtain in the Vatican. I don't really, but the machinations of the centuries have no limits in fantasy world....all those robes, incense, influences and hats, making plots and conspiracies.

Nothing in real life bears out the details of any of that, but like the toadies that conspire around the US presidency, it's an enjoyable fantasy that fills up a Friday evening at the movies.



The trick is not minding
I enjoyed Conclave for what it was. An entertaining thriller in the old style. It's not deep and the plot is silly. But I enjoy Dan Brown thrillers, so I am used to that. Lots of good actors to enjoy.
But then the ending...the stupid, stupid ending. Yes, a man who is really a woman, will straighten out all those corrupt men.
JFC!
Spoilers, BB, spoilers.