This is the third of 10 reviews as I attempt to watch all 2024 movies nominated for the “Best Picture” Academy Award.
“Conclave” was damn good and, although fictional, very much rooted in truth if you think about the well-publicized scandals in the Catholic church. But it’s about much more than the church.
It’s a reminder that when you have a massive entity with centralized decision-making belonging to one person, the human desire for power and control will likely trump one’s desire to do what’s in the best interests of the organization. The only hope for democracy -er- the Catholic Church is to have a handful of morally-driven, God-fearing people near the seat of power who lack the desire to be “the one,” allowing that person to keep a clear mind when making decisions and advising the powerful.
In the movie, this person is played by Ralph Fiennes as Cardinal Lawrence. So distraught by the politics of the papacy, Lawrence wishes to resign only to be hand-selected by the terminally ill Pope to lead the Cardinals in finding his successor. Fiennes plays this reluctant character intelligently — the Sherlock Holmes of Vatican City — uncovering the demons of his fellow Cardinal frontrunners to be Pope, including John Lithgow’s Cardinal Tremblay, Stanley Tucci’s Cardinal Bellini and Lucas Msamati’s Cardinal Adeyemi.
I won’t give away the surprise ending, only to say the protagonist begins to chip away at his own moral fabric as he becomes obsessed with his own quest — not for power, but for the truth. A reminder that we’re all susceptible to our deepest internal desires. But hopefully, we all have someone around — not just a rubber stamp — to keep us in check.
Joe’s Judgement: 8/10
Joe Dennis 