The cast and the script give life to the word “electric” in the movie “Conclaves.” The production design works beautifully, and the visuals do a perfect job of reinforcing the narrative through a multitude of astonishing twists. Audiences get an insight into the obscure and fascinating centuries-old ritual: the election of a new Pope from within a body of Catholic cardinals. This finds some resonance with the more overt power struggles and debates that people everywhere can relate to, albeit in a more peripheral manner. Watching the various elements of the affairs unfold is tantalizing. But even more moving are the themes of humanity, desire, strategy, dreams, pettiness, the arguments between belief and skepticism, advancement and conservatism, us and them. According to Us magazine, “They are a little like us! Cardinals!” “Conclave” is a witty and stimulating film Realpolitik is often shown amusingly. At times, it makes one feel uncomfortable, but the emotions are produced in a very intelligent way.
It starts with Cardinal Lawrence (Ralph Fiennes) breathing heavily when rushing into the quarters with a briefcase in hand and his zucchetto, a conventional dress for all cardinals but isn’t a religious practice. The Pope’s end is approaching and Lawrence finds himself amongst the other priests praying alongside him, however, he does not remember how he got there. His next objective is to take out The Ring of the Fisherman from his hand so that they may break the seal. This includes a lot of pulling which gives a first indication of how difficult the transition is going to be. That is not going to be the last breath we hear, there are many more to come.
Owing to Cardinal Lawrence’s being the Dean of the College of Cardinals, he has been invited to oversee the elections to select the new Pope. They gather at the Pope’s quarters in the Sistine Chapel where everyone gets to vote. The votes are then stuffed into envelopes that are hand-counted followed by being set on fire. This entire process is done in silence and after each phase, only smoke is seen. Grey smoke is exhibited if a ballot doesn’t contain enough votes for a particular candidate and white smoke is showcased once a candidate is chosen.
There is a saying that those who aspire to rise to the top of leadership cannot be self-seeking and should be wise and humble. This may especially apply to the Pope, as he is meant to be the permanent leader of the Catholic Church and the Vatican. Once chosen, that man is considered the highest authority of the church and is considered infallible when it comes to matters of belief and morals when addressing the Church from his throne. As one of the cardinals points out, everyone who has reached that position in the church has thought about what name he would like to select if he were to be selected.
Lawrence, whose doubts about his role were quite high to the extent that he intended to request to get out of the job, tries hard, however, to satisfy all the colliding requirements of the cardinals. For example, he says he doesn’t have to bother himself concerning aspects that would make a potential candidate undeserving to be appointed, but just as he sees or hears concerning the issues of suitability, he addresses up to breaking a rule.
It is reasonable to conclude that all the candidates without exception being only human have some limitations. What do you think is worse, say, a sin in the past, a morally repugnant trick to get to the top of a voting list, or adherence to policies that he and many others deem to be more reactionary and detrimental? After all, Lawrence knows quite well about the history of the church’s mistakes and the rush to avoid any damage to the reputation of the church.
The film also boasts of a remarkable cast headed by John Lithgow, who plays a presidential candidate whose attempt to rally support might have bordered on being unsavory and nefarious, and Lucian Msamati, an African bishop who may be appointed as a sign of reconciliation, but has a particular skeleton in the closet that might make him ineligible for the position. Lawrence is sympathetic towards his buddy, Cardinal Bellini (Stanley Tucci, who manages to shine even against a particularly brilliant performance backdrop), who honestly states that he is quite the liberal but this makes him lose a lot of would-be friends. On the other side, there is Cardinal Tedesco (Sergio Castellitto), the thunder and brimstone’s Catholic variant, whose ambition is to restore Latin and expel any American who in his narrow scope of requirements is unfit. And, of course, Isabella Rossellini is stunning as a nun who is, as she puts it, meant to blend in but somehow manages to have vision and hearing and rather bizarrely, but quite contextually appropriate, a voice.
The cinematographer, Stéphane Fontaine maximizes the striking visuals offered by the multi-colored uniforms sported by the Swiss guards alongside the gorgeous architectural details and the red robes adorned by the cardinals. The juxtaposition of the centuries’ worth of tradition in the form of art and design with human weaknesses and manipulations is fascinating, to say the least.
The movie itself takes the shape of a farce once a door is slammed. Whispers, angles, and sequences all work together in spaces that seem tight to maneuver characters within, this leads to a Rubik’s cube effect. While the last surprise may come off as hard to believe, it seamlessly fits in the way one would expect the last part of completion in a jigsaw puzzle to fit.
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