Few more significant historical events have occurred this year than the death of the Pope. I wish that were the biggest and most relevant. But aside from the fact that history does not give us a break, the death of the supreme pontiff of the Catholic Church made headlines around the world after a long illness that was communicated in a rather understated manner. Not providing all the information at any moment, up until his last moments.
This has caused the Pope to be present for weeks, if not months, in all the news reports. By not being clear or explicit about his health status, speculation increased. And this led to a curiosity that also translated into a particular interest in understanding how the process of choosing a Pope works.
It is not for nothing. Choosing a pontiff is not an easy, quick, or, in most cases, elegant task. This time it has been disappointingly quick and painless, with a consensus candidate, and perhaps that is why almost no one remembers him now. Because he is not memorable. Because there has been no politics or any kind of narrative behind his election. They have only chosen what seems to be a good man, a continuation of the previous legacy, with nothing that stands out.
That’s not the norm. And in fact, it’s not what excites the audience. Something that was demonstrated by a movie released a year before all of this and that was, in its own way, almost prophetic. We’re talking, of course, about Conclave.
Conclave: the movie that took the world by storm even before a Pope died
Premiering in 2024, Conclave is a political thriller that instead of being set in parliaments or corporate meeting rooms focuses on a much less usual place: the Vatican. Masterfully directed by Edward Berger and written by Peter Straughan, known respectively for directing All Quiet on the Western Front and writing Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, it is a film that demonstrates that what happens in the Sistine Chapel is no less political than what occurs in those other more common places.
Focusing on the characters and their affiliations, the film knows how to convey their disputes and struggles to us. The preparations pile up, the voting begins, and everything grows tense as secrets are revealed and the candidates’ dirty laundry is discovered. Making sure that no one is safe in an absolutely thrilling thriller where, at times, we forget that we are watching priests fighting to see who will be God’s chosen one on earth.
This also implies that the movie has a certain degree of unreality. Although we do not know exactly what happens inside the Vatican during a conclave, it certainly won’t be something like in Conclave. It is fictionalized to add tension and make it more vivid and interesting.
Does that take away merit? Not a bit. On the contrary. It knows how to make a dry and uninteresting topic like a group of religious men locked in a church to decide who will be the new leader of their institution tremendously interesting by condensing what is truly valuable about the story. Sometimes it exaggerates and it’s hard to believe that everything that happens in this conclave could occur in just one. But that doesn’t prevent us from getting a very good idea of what happens there. Even if it’s not as tense and spectacular as in Berger’s film.
A movie you shouldn’t miss
This is also helped by the fact that its actors are absolutely masterful. Ralph Fiennes is colossal, as is usual for him, but Stanley Tucci and John Lithgow as Cardinals Aldo Bellini and Joseph Tremblay also shine in their own right. Although it is undeniable that the Italians, two prodigious Sergio Castellitto and Isabella Rossellini, end up stealing most of the scenes they appear in, demonstrating that they have absolutely nothing to envy from the dream cast of this film.
All of that, combined with the impact of its ending, makes Conclave an exciting movie that you shouldn’t miss. Even if you are already tired of papacies, elections, and all that religious politics that, in our daily lives, doesn’t really affect us that much.
Fortunately, you now have it easier than ever to watch it. Conclave arrives next Friday, June 27, on Movistar+. This is a perfect opportunity to see one of the most interesting, awarded, and relevant films of recent years. Even if neither its director nor any of those involved remotely anticipated that it would happen.
