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The latest Edward Berger film, “Conclave,” feels tailored for the Academy Awards nominations. It already has an Oscar-winning director, with Berger, and an Oscar-nominated actor, Ralph Fiennes.

The film is a mystery thriller about picking a new pope, a lofty subject exploring faith and the Catholic Church. As Variety noted, “The Exorcist,” one of the goriest horror movies ever (which also reckons with faith), received 10 nominations in the 46th Academy Awards. So it’s safe to say these themes appeal to Oscar voters.

While “Conclave” occasionally sucks up to the Academy, it offers a more subversive and comedic look at the papacy and the ritual of selecting the new leader of Catholicism. It’s a movie that’s self-serious but also self-conscious. It knows picking the pope is fundamentally like high schoolers picking a class president.

Almost immediately following the pope’s death, cardinals are jockeying for the job. There’s hardline conservative Italian Cardinal Tedesco (Sergio Castellitto), who wants church services to be held in Latin again. Meanwhile, Cardinal Bellini (Stanley Tucci) wants to push the church forward. Then there’s scheming Canadian Cardinal Tremblay (John Lithgow) hiding dark secrets. That excludes the popular Nigerian candidate (Lucian Msamati) with conservative social views or the secret cardinal from Afghanistan, Cardinal Benitez (Carlos Diehz).

All of these men have varying levels of support from other Cardinals. If this is beginning to sound like the College of Cardinals has cliques like the ones in the hallways of your high school, you wouldn’t be off base.

At the center is Fiennes’ Cardinal Lawrence: the man in charge of the papal conclave. He regularly wrangles with the candidates in conversations that seem gravely serious but end up feeling like a parody. When Lawrence confronts Tremblay about the soon-to-be-dead pope asking him to resign, the Canadian is so aghast that he must make espresso with his in-suite coffee machine before he can vehemently deny this allegation.

“Conclave” never really touches on this below-the-surface humor because, at the end of the day, it still revolves around the dramatic thriller that is unfolding before Lawrence’s eyes. Fiennes Lithgow, Tucci and Castellitto, have plenty of opportunities to give dramatic line readings and monologues that fit perfectly in an Academy sizzle reel of Best Picture nominees.

To his credit, Fiennes brings the pathos that has made him so compelling throughout his entire career. He can help the audience internalize the feelings that many Catholics and Christians face as Lawrence, who is also considered to become the pope, steals with his own doubts about God.

But the film leaves the crisis of faith at a surface level. Lawrence gives a speech about how the church should embrace doubt and uncertainty. But the movie foregoes any deeper examination of how Lawrence’s feelings intertwine with his experiences, aside from pointing out how the church feels corrupt.

Additionally, the various views of the papal candidates are either underwritten or too simple for something as messy as the “Conclave” seems. There are clear delineations between the differing liberal and conservative camps of the College of Cardinals. This leaves no room to examine how candidates’ opinions can vary on issues like relationships with other religions or global conflicts. The Academy can be prone to laud in Best Picture winners like “Green Book” or “Crash.”

But even as there are moments that highlight the script’s lack of depth, the movie still has a cinematic energy and pace that makes it exciting. So even if you have questions about these cardinals, there’s always new plot information that moves the story forward every 10 minutes to keep you invested.

“Conclave” offers some delightfully shocking twists and turns and an opportunity for some of our best actors working today to give some dramatic monologues. Even though the movie may not be the most insightful look at a crisis of faith or the Catholic Church as an institution, it’s still entertaining and has a comic and low-brow view of human behavior.

Published on November 12, 2024 at 11:22 pm

Contact Henry: henrywobrien1123@gmail.com