Starting like a slow burn fire, Conclave takes some time before bursting into surprising brightness. It defies odds since an inside look at cardinals electing a new pope involves multiple characters, lots of talk but no sex, gunplay, or high-speed chases. Working from Peter Straughan’s adaptation of Robert Harris’s best seller, director Edward Berger guides a superlative cast into nuanced performances, where the twitch of an eye or tilt of the head conveys more meaning than a shouting rage or histrionic tears. Ralph Fiennes takes center stage as Cardinal Thomas Lawrence, appointed to oversee the papal conclave that private process involving multiple rounds of voting to choose the pope’s successor. Joining Fiennes come the familiar faces and skills of Stanley Tucci and John Lithgow, with the female addition of Isabella Rossellini since nuns manage food and other needs plus in her case, know enough to influence action. Wise casting works for other characters played by Lucian Msamati, Sergio Castellitto, and Carlos Diehz, less recognizable faces but distinct enough to quickly make their characters clear and memorable. Rather than rush understanding, Berger lets his camera linger over faces and places, getting across rules and emotions so that by the second round of voting, suspense and tension set in. Cardinals prove human, displaying the scandals, egos, flaws, and shenanigans that dominate so many elections. With frontrunner status constantly shifting, Conclave twists and turns into an absorbing drama whose touches of humor and insight make it both fun and rewarding.
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