The heavenly supporting cast includes John Lithgow, Stanley Tucci and Isabella Rossellini
, a marvelously entertaining film about a papal election, is something of a miracle, an immaculately polished production that satisfies on just about every level.
It comes with a possibly career-best performance by ; a large, expert cast of cagey pros; the assured pace of a thriller; and a final twist that even those know-it-alls in heaven won’t see coming.
Without a doubt, it’s one of the year’s top films.
But Conclave would amount to nothing more than the proverbial grain of sand if it didn’t star Fiennes as beleaguered Thomas Lawrence, dean of the College of Cardinals.
Despite being unsure of his faith, the poor man has been saddled by the just-deceased pope with the responsibility of managing . They’re all about to all descend on Rome, and you can guess they’ll be unsmiling, hungry and expectant, like a touring production of Godspell that hasn’t been paid,
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There are many aspects of that are worth analyzing — including those sad, worried, beseeching eyes. But everything really boils down to his thin, firmly pursed lips: Thomas is clearly wary of parting them and giving away his plans — he doesn’t allow access to his infinitely discreet mind (or its ephemeral companion, his soul).
He may open his mouth, a little, to make some dutifully pious comment in a voice that’s a soft, crumbly mutter. (It’s like a cake left out in the rain.) Or he may issue a cautiously worded directive to an underling, asking him to probe into the behavior of the conclave’s power players. (For all their sanctity, they do have power, and they do play.)
Always, though, Fiennes projects a nettled humility. Thomas probably wants the papal prize for himself, but he keeps his ambitions cloaked. Which is a pity. It’s as if Thérèse of Lisieux decided to throw a fire blanket over her spiritual flame. Conclave, based on Robert Harris’s bestselling novel, is as slick as mainstream movies come — and that’s not a complaint — but Fiennes lifts it to a different, even spiritual level.
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Still, it’s not easy being a saint while serving as Vatican camp counselor. What a bunch of divas! Thomas has to cope with Cardinal Aldo Bellini (), who’d make a highly progressive pontiff if he only stopped fussing about his unworthiness. (Give it a rest, padre.) Then there’s Joshua Adeyemi (Lucian Msamati): He has an edge in the voting and would be a true breakthrough — the first Black pope — but his beliefs are too regressive.
As a result, Fiennes is left constantly trying to wriggle his way out of that tiny fissure you find between a rock and a hard place. Someone not in holy orders might call it hell on earth.
Director Edward Berger () has given the film a look of austere luxury — the cardinals’ marble-walled accommodations deserve at least one Michelin Key. And he ably tracks all the shifting alliances as the cardinals gossip and scheme in dimly lit conference rooms and handsome stone courtyards.
has a small but crucial part as a nun who’s obediently serving in an administrative role but also knows every papal trick in the book. (Not the Good Book! Some other book!) In a different era, she could be pope.
Conclave is in theaters Oct. 25.
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