Our take
It’s always refreshing to see people in esteemed positions let their guard down, not to mention smoke a vape or gossip feverishly, as we mere mortals do. But Conclave is more than just a candid look at what goes down in a process as elaborate as a papal election. It’s a portrait of man’s innate thirst for power. And since it has more to do with humanity than divinity, it’s also rightfully silly. Cardinals are scrambling for votes and fighting over politics. They can be peaceful and reasonable, but they can also be petty and spiteful, just like any person pressured to vote for their future (or just like any person, period). Conclave is far from perfect—its intentions are murky at times and the visuals, though beautiful, are oddly sparse—but it works because no one in the film, not even the protagonist, is infallible. It’s a welcome reminder of our limitations, regardless of faith.
What it won
Oscars
1 win · 7 noms
Golden Globes
6 noms
BAFTA
4 wins · 8 noms
SAG Awards
1 win · 1 nom
DGA
1 nom
Nat. Board of Review
2 wins
European Film Awards
1 nom
The story
After the unexpected death of the Pope, Cardinal Lawrence is tasked with managing the covert and ancient ritual of electing a new one. Sequestered in the Vatican with the Catholic Church’s most powerful leaders until the process is complete, Lawrence finds himself at the center of a conspiracy that could lead to its downfall.
Elsewhere
"It’s all competently performed and executed, with loud booms of sound cued to each scene change as an attempt to ramp up the tension, and lots of behind-the-head tracking shots of cardinals anxiously pacing through corridors and stairways."
— David Jenkins
"Conclave is an engrossing ecclesiastical hoot which elegantly compresses a prestige-miniseries’ worth of meaty intrigue and lively incident into two brisk hours."
— Neil Young
As cardinals convene to elect the new Roman Catholic Pope, tensions rise when the competition gets fierce.
I read someone say that this was like an episode of RuPaul's Drag Race: Untucked, and I haven’t seen it as anything else since.
Priests, they’re just like us!
The details
Streaming arrival
Who picked it
Renee Cuisia is the lead curator at A Good Movie to Watch. In her spare time, she likes to watch K-dramas and analyze them to death. She's also seen You've Got Mail one too many times but is still convinced it's one of the greatest films out there.
