Conclave is a 2024 political thriller film directed by Edward Berger and written by Peter Straughan, based on the 2016 novel by Robert Harris.
In the film, Cardinal Thomas Lawrence (Fiennes) organises a conclave to elect the next pope and finds himself investigating secrets and scandals about the major candidates.
After the pope dies of a heart attack, the College of Cardinals, under the leadership of its dean, Thomas Lawrence of the United Kingdom, convenes to elect his successor.
The four leading candidates are Aldo Bellini of the United States, a liberal in the vein of the late pope; Joshua Adeyemi of Nigeria, a social conservative; Joseph Tremblay of Canada, a moderate; and Goffredo Tedesco of Italy, a staunch traditionalist.
Meanwhile, Lawrence is surprised by the last-minute arrival of Archbishop Vincent Benitez of Kabul, whom the late pope named cardinal in pectore the previous year.
Raymond O'Malley, Lawrence's assistant, compiles background information on Benitez, during which he learns the late pope paid for his plane ticket to Geneva for a canceled medical appointment.
On the second day, while breaking for lunch, the college witnesses a confrontation between Adeyemi, who leads in the votes, and Sister Shanumi, a nun recently transferred from Nigeria to Vatican City.
It was announced in May 2022 that Ralph Fiennes, John Lithgow, Stanley Tucci, and Isabella Rossellini were set to star in the film, with Edward Berger directing.
[3][4] In the United States and Canada, Conclave was released alongside Venom: The Last Dance, and was projected to gross $4–6 million from 1,753 theaters in its opening weekend.
The website's consensus reads: "Carrying off papal pulp with immaculate execution and career-highlight work from Ralph Fiennes, Conclave is a godsend for audiences who crave intelligent entertainment.
[32][33][34][32] However some criticism was met for the plot,[35] with Katie Walsh of the Los Angeles Times calling it "a pretty thin and silly mystery ... that seems like it's deeper than it actually is".
[42] Filmmaker Alexander Payne named it one of his favorite films of 2024, saying: "You just can't believe how riveting it is – funny and suspenseful and so well-cast and well-acted.
"[43] Other filmmakers, including Oliver Stone, Kelly Fremon Craig, Adam Elliot, Coralie Fargeat, Tim Fehlbaum, Hannah Fidell, William Goldenberg, Reinaldo Marcus Green, Savanah Leaf, Laurel Parmet and Paul Schrader, also lauded the film, particularly the performances of the cast.
[44][45] John Mulderig of the Catholic OSV News said about Conclave that "rival viewpoints within the church are caricatured with a broad brush ... and the deck is predictably stacked in favor of those who advocate change".
[6] The Archdiocese of Los Angeles' Angelus magazine praised several of the actors' performances but ultimately dismissed the film, writing: "The problem here is not that it is full of bias against the Catholic Church.
[48] Conversely, the Bishop of Winona–Rochester, Robert Barron, dismissed it as Oscar bait and termed it "a film about the Catholic Church that could have been written by the editorial board of The New York Times".
[49] Writing for the Catholic Herald, Miles Pattenden considered that the film "lacks the subtlety to explore [Church politics] inventively" despite some "exquisite moments", notably the performances of Sergio Castellitto and Rossellini.
Memes comparing the film to RuPaul's Drag Race and The Real Housewives appeared on Twitter, while other users created fan cams, including ones set to such artists as Charli XCX.
Online comparisons were also made to media such as Mean Girls, while the "elimination" of the various cardinals in the film was compared to reality television shows like Survivor or The Bachelor.
[51] Many of these outlets took note of the apparent contradiction that a film that "might be [for] retired folks catching a weekday matinee" was popular in meme culture.