As we get closer to the end of the year, much of the film world begins to prepare for awards season. Aside from holiday movies, the film release schedule during the fall is filled with movies primed to win awards rather than run away at the box office. One of these films, Conclave, is directed by Edward Berger, serving as his follow-up to Best Picture nominee All Quiet on the Western Front. The film is based on the 2016 book of the same name by Robert Harris and stars Ralph Fiennes and Stanley Tucci. The experienced talent behind this movie shows on screen, and I can happily say this was one of the best films I’ve seen this year.

Conclave opens with the death of the Pope, immediately kickstarting the papal conclave, or the assembling of cardinals, to elect a new pope. Fiennes stars as Thomas Lawrence, a cardinal put in charge of heading the conclave despite a crisis of faith. Bellini, portrayed by Tucci, is a liberal candidate for pope. Both Lawrence and Bellini were close friends with the now-deceased former pope. As the cardinals sequester themselves for the election, Lawrence is exposed to the shady webs of bribery and deception hiding in the background of the holy election, which coincide with the final actions of the former pope. Despite his attempts to remain unbiased, Lawrence is forced to conduct a sudden investigation in order to protect the church while also struggling with his faith and his own hidden ambition to become the pope.

The  movie is anchored by Fiennes’ masterful performance. He perfectly captures all the little expressions and emotions of a stressed, suffering cardinal. His best scene is toward the end of the film, where he’s confronted with one of the final decisions made by the last pope. Fiennes’ reactions to the shock of what he learns are masterful, perfectly capturing all of his character’s mixed emotions without a single word. The cause of this flurry of emotions came from so far out of left field that I was almost more shocked than the characters were.

I would also be wrong to discount the amazing performances of the other members of the  cast. Tucci is excellent as Bellini. John Lithgow is expertly convincing as Cardinal Tremblay, and though  the entire web of deceit over the election spreads from him, his performance still makes me want to believe his lies. Sergio Castellitto is hateable as the conservative reactionary Cardinal Tedesco. Finally, I was shocked by Isabella Rossellini’s performance as Sister Agnes. I mainly know her for her voice work, so I wasn’t expecting her to be such a standout in this film. She serves almost as a helper and confidant to Lawrence, as she is also wrapped up in one of the various schemes organized by Tremblay. 

Other aspects I absolutely loved about the film were the editing and score. Editor Nick Emerson makes good use of quick cuts and montages, especially during the beginning of the film, effectively capturing the level of preparation needed for the papal conclave while also emphasizing the stress it’s placing on Lawrence. This pairs perfectly with Volker Bertelmann’s incredibly tense score. Sometimes you can barely even hear it, but it’s always there, adding even more tension to the biggest moments. This becomes especially obvious whenever there’s a voting scene, of which there are a fair few. These scenes could have easily been repetitive, as the ballots follow mostly the same procedure every time. However, creative editing and escalating music throughout the film create a sense of urgency every time a vote fails to elect a new pope. It creates the same feeling many people in the U.S. received in early 2023 each time there was a failed vote for Speaker of the House.

That leads me to the final positive note in this film’s corner: the allegories. The film is coming out less than two weeks before a major U.S.election. Despite Conclave having a completely different setting, I could tell the minds behind the film definitely leaned into this. There is a conversation in the stairwell where Lawrence bemoans having to choose between the least worst candidate, a sentiment that many of us are dealing with in what we consider a “lesser of two evils” election. We have Tedesco, a reactionary candidate arguing for a return to traditional values and comparing outsiders to animals, much like one of the current candidates for president. In the movie, a terrorist attack in Italy interrupts the voting, mirroring the riots on Jan. 6, 2021. This film got so deep into our current electoral insecurities that I’m shocked Tedesco didn’t claim the election for pope was rigged against him. All of it was done extremely well and doesn’t feel too heavy-handed; instead, it feels almost natural in the world of the film.

When the film ended, I could confidently say that Conclave is one of the best films I’ve seen all year. I was completely enamored by the story and the tense nature of the conflict. I absolutely believe this will be in the mix for the Academy Awards this year, and I believe Ralph Fiennes deserves an Oscar for this performance, especially since he’s never won in his career. I eagerly recommend Conclave.