Conclave              4 ½ stars

In Edward Berger’s new movie Conclave, we get a peek at one of the most secret societies in the world. (Berger previously gave us All Quiet on the Western Front in 2022.) The conclave is the Catholic Church’s process for selecting a new Pope after the passing of the preceding his Holiness. In the movie, based on the book by Robert Harris, the Pope has just passed away and within hours Cardinal Lawrence (Ralph Fiennes) arrives and finds that it is his job to manage the conclave, only he is experiencing his own crisis of faith. He also considered the father to be a friend. As the cardinals gather, we learn who some of the candidates are and that some have their own agenda and that there are some who had deep disagreements with the progressiveness of the former pope. We also see that divisions between the cardinals extend beyond church policy and into race and country of origin. As we get into the voting process, secrets are revealed, and the intrigue expands. We learn of secret meetings that the Pope had just before his passing. To an extent the story is like a spy story or even a murder mystery. The cardinals are split into two camps, the old school conservatives and the progressives who preach tolerance of other faiths and the LGTBQ community. Each faction is maneuvering to get their guy to the necessary number votes to be named the new Pope. I appreciated the efforts of the filmmakers in making sure we can identify all the important characters. Many movies miss on this matter. There are a few surprises that occur late in the story, and I cannot say more about them for fear of spoiling your enjoyment. The movie should not be considered a form of high literature and is really just interesting entertainment that includes some very good performances. I expect to see some Academy Award nominations including acting awards for Ralph Fiennes and Stanley Tucci. I would not count on it to win Best Picture at this point though. Just go see it and enjoy the experience.