Movie Review: Conclave

The new movie "Conclave" is about the aftermath of the Pope's death and what happens when the conclave at the Vatican goes through the extensive process of electing a new Pope. As a screenwriter, I have always known that for movies "show rather than tell", but with a film that is all dialogue, it still works as an impressive production because the acting is so well done.

Conclave stars Ralph Fiennes as the main character Lawrence who is in the middle of all the politics and backstabbing as 5 other Cardinals all maneuver to be the new Pope. Even though Lawrence does not want to be the new pope, he is still being voted for by the members of the conclave even while he tries to deflect their votes to another Cardinal, Bellini played by Stanley Tucci.

John Lithgow plays Cardinal Tremblay, who is the leading candidate for the new Pope, but Lawrence finds out that Tremblay would do anything to be the next pope including trying to ruin the reputation of his main contenders. Other candidates include Cardinal Adeyemi from Nigeria who wants to be elected the first black pope and finally Cardian Tedesco, a hardline conservative who wants to undo 50 years of progress the Catholic Church has made. Cardinal Bellini is the liberal in the group who wants to prevent Cardinal Tedesco from having a chance of being elected. This story creates scene after scene of intense dialogue as new information unfolds as the conclave votes several times to elect a new Pope.

This entire story is another example that blind ambition is greater than even the most devout believers of God and religion. Some people will do anything to get what they want, even at the expense of others, forgetting that what good is succeeding when you ruin the life and career of someone else?

The Rotten Tomatoes ratings for Conclave are a very high 92% with my rating at 85% for the excellent acting and a solid recommendation.