After the Pope dies of a heart attack, the College of Cardinals, under the leadership of British Cardinal-Dean Thomas Lawrence, gathers in seclusion to elect his successor. The four main 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 within the Church; and Goffredo Tedesco of Italy, a staunch traditionalist.
The day before the conclave, Janusz Woźniak, the Prefect of the Papal Household, claims that the late Pope demanded Tremblay's resignation on the night he died, which Tremblay denies, and Bellini makes it clear his position is to prevent Tedesco from becoming Pope. The College, meanwhile, is surprised by the last-minute arrival of Vincent Benitez, who was secretly named Archbishop of Kabul one year earlier.[a]
Lawrence gives a homily encouraging the Collegio to embrace doubt and uncertainty, which some interpret as a declaration of his papal ambitions. In the first ballot, no candidate gets close to the required two-thirds majority; Adeyemi has a slight edge while Bellini and Lawrence split the liberal vote. In the next ballot, many cardinals consolidate behind Adeyemi to the chagrin of Bellini, who despises Adeyemi's homophobia. Meanwhile, Lawrence's assistant discovers Benitez was close to the late Pope, who paid for Benitez's plane ticket to Switzerland for a medical appointment that was later canceled.
Following the third ballot, Sister Shanumi, a Nigerian nun, causes a stir by confronting Adeyemi in the cardinals' refectory. She later confesses to Lawrence that she and Adeyemi had an illicit relationship, resulting in the birth of a son whom she gave up for adoption. Although Lawrence is duty-bound to keep the secret, a whisper campaign ends Adeyemi's candidacy. Bellini decides to support Tremblay in order to block Tedesco from becoming pope.
Sister Agnes, the nun responsible for the cardinals' accommodation, informs Lawrence that Tremblay had arranged for Shanumi to be transferred to the Vatican. Tremblay confirms this, but claims he did so at the Pope's request and was unaware of Shanumi's connection to Adeyemi. Lawrence breaks into the Pope's quarters and discovers documents showing that Tremblay bribed cardinals for votes. Bellini urges Lawrence to burn the documents to prevent public outcry over church corruption, causing Lawrence to realize Bellini was offered the role of Secretary of State by Tremblay in return for his support. Lawrence and Agnes reveal Tremblay's actions to the cardinals, thereby ending Tremblay's candidacy. Tedesco and Lawrence become the only remaining major candidates, although Benitez has steadily gained support, to Lawrence's continuing surprise.
During the sixth ballot, where Lawrence reluctantly votes for himself, a suicide bomber attacks Rome, killing many in the crowd outside and damaging the Sistine Chapel. Tedesco angrily blames Islamists and relativism, and calls for a religious war against Islam. Benitez responds that violence should not be met with violence, saying he has seen the true cost of war during his service in global war zones. He also compares war to the cardinals' in-fighting, arguing that the Church should operate on love, not politics and focus on the future, not return to the past. Moved, the cardinals elect Benitez as Pope Innocent XIV on the seventh ballot.
Lawrence discovers Benitez's canceled medical visit was for a laparoscopichysterectomy. Innocent explains that he is intersex and was assigned male at birth, but he did not know he also had a uterus and ovaries until a recent appendectomy. The late Pope hid the secret, implying he facilitated Benitez's rise to power. Benitez goes on to explain he chose to keep his female organs, stating, "I am as God made me." Agreeing to keep Benitez's secret and entrust God divinely inspired the results, Lawrence listens to the crowds cheer the new pope's election.
The set designers took great care to replicate the Sistine Chapel, though they took some artistic license with the Domus Sanctae Marthae. They made their set more prison-like to enhance dramatic tension because they felt that the real version was rather dull. Costume designers visited Gammarelli, Tirelli Costumi, and several museums in Rome as part of their research. For the cardinals' red attire, costume designer Lisy Christl opted for a hue used in 17th-century cardinal vestments, rather than one from modern-day ones, believing it be "far more beautiful and far easier for our eyes".[13]
While writing the screenplay, Straughan said that he met with a Cardinal to discuss the logistics of the conclave. He also took a private tour of the Vatican, and said he did not feel hostility while there and felt that the Vatican had been open to him.[13]
Due to many characters sharing scenes in the film, Bertelmann chose to create themes for specific situations as opposed to themes for individual characters.[16] In addition, he had string players use a ricochet bowing technique.[14] In order to mirror the film's conflicting factions within the cardinals, Bertelmann sometimes incorporated polyrhythms, such as triplets against sixteenth notes.[14]
In November 2023, Focus Features acquired U.S. distribution rights to the film.[19] In July 2024, Conclave was announced as part of the Special Presentations section for the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival scheduled for September 8, 2024.[20][21] The film would subsequently be announced as part of the lineup for the Telluride Film Festival, where it had its world premiere.[22]Venice Film Festival director Alberto Barbera explained why the film did not play at Venice: "I didn't think it was a Competition film for Venice but I invited it Out of Competition. We tried to figure out timing for it to play here and at Telluride, which they also wanted, but we couldn't find the right dates and timing for it to work. We discussed various options but couldn't get the time that suited everyone. It's a shame."[23]
The film was released in the United States on 25 October 2024.[24] It was previously scheduled for a limited theatrical release on 1 November before opening wide on the following week.[25] It was released in the United Kingdom on 29 November.[1]
Reception
Box office
As of December 25, 2024[update], Conclave has grossed $31.2million in the United States and Canada, and $20.3million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $51.4million.[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.[2] The film made $2.5 million on its first day, including $500,000 from Thursday night previews. It went on to debut to $6.6 million, finishing in third;[26] The film is aimed at significantly older audiences, 77% of the demographic was over 35 years old, the biggest demographic group being over 55 at 44%, and 67% Caucasian.[27][28] The film then made $5 million in its second weekend (dropping 23.7%)[29] and $4.1 million in its third weekend (dropping just 18.1%), finishing in fourth and sixth place, respectively.[30]
Critical response
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 92% of 265 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 8.1/10. 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."[31]Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 79 out of 100, based on 53 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[32] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B+" on an A+ to F scale, while those surveyed by PostTrak gave it an 84% overall positive score, with 62% saying they would "definitely recommend" it.[27]
The film's cinematography received praise.[33][34][35] The film's ensemble cast was also praised,[35][33] with Fiennes' and Castellitto's performances receiving particular acclaim.[34][36][37][38] The plot received some criticism,[39] 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."[40]IndieWire's David Ehrlich agreed that the film was "very silly but wonderfully staged ... even if the film might be a bit too convinced of its own dramatic import."[37] The Chicago Tribune's Michael Phillips praised the film's "delicious portraits in pursuit, deceit and evasion."[41]
Mark Kermode praised the film for its thoughtful and respectful portrayal of the papal election process. He highlighted the strong performances, particularly by Fiennes, and appreciated the film's ability to create suspense and intrigue without resorting to sensationalism. He also noted the film's nuanced exploration of the Catholic Church's future and its internal politics, which he found compelling and well-executed.[42]Richard Lawson of Vanity Fair said that the film rightly portrayed "both the seriousness of [the conclave] process and the campy ridiculousness of it," and thought that the film "touch[es] fingers with prestige greatness while keeping its feet firmly planted in the realm of rollicking entertainment."[43]Manohla Dargis of The New York Times noted that the film's stance towards the Roman Catholic Church mirrors Hollywood's own stance towards its film industry: "lightly cynical, self-flattering and finally myth-stoking."[36]
Lawson called the twist "reckless" and insufficiently thought through,[43] while Variety's Peter Debruge called it "one of the most satisfying twists in years, a Hail Mary that both surprises and restores one's faith (maybe not everyone's, but certainly that of the disillusioned)."[44]
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. Berger has the miraculous quality of making something you never forget is a movie, but at the same time, it's as though you're actually there."[45]
Religious response
John Mulderig of the Catholic OSV News opined that in Conclave, "rival viewpoints within the church are caricatured with a broad brush ... and the deck is predictably stacked in favor of those who advocate change." He warned that "all moviegoers committed to the church's creeds will want to approach this earnest, visually engaging but manipulative—and sometimes sensationalist—production with caution."[6] The Archdiocese of Los Angeles' Angelus magazine complimented several of the actors' performances but dismissed the film, writing that "The problem here is not that it is full of bias against the Catholic Church. The problem is that it is just plain bad. ... At the crucial moment, [Benitez] gives a speech so full of platitudes it could have been written by ChatGPT."[46] On the other hand, the progressiveNational Catholic Reporter praised the film, calling it "a compelling and ecclesial call for a renewed spiritual stewardship characterized by humility, meekness, and, curiously, doubt."[47]
Kate Lucky of Christianity Today, an evangelical publication, called the film "gorgeous" and "riveting", and said that "though the film subtly advances progressive convictions, it gives cardinals of all ideological persuasions equal opportunity to fall short."[48] Conversely, the Bishop of Winona–RochesterRobert 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]
^Under present canon law, it would have been illegal for Cardinal Benitez to attend the conclave, as in pectore appointments end with the Pope's death unless the Pope publicly announces the appointment. The novel attributes Benitez's presence to a recent change in canon law, but the film does not mention the change.[6]
^In the Catholic Church, the title "Cardinal" goes between the titleholder's first and last names.[7]
^This award does not have a single winner, but recognizes multiple films.
