The 2025 Winter Film Festival finally arrives this Friday (February 21) at the Dietrich Theater. Over the next few weeks, I plan on checking out as many film festival selections as possible.
The first film that I have checked out for the film festival is the highly acclaimed, Academy Award/Golden Globe nominated film “Conclave.”
“Conclave” follows one of the world’s most secretive and ancient events - selecting the new Pope. Cardinal Lawrence is tasked with running this covert process after the unexpected death of the beloved Pope.
Once the Catholic Church’s most powerful leaders have gathered around the world and are locked together in the Vatican halls, Lawrence uncovers a trail of deep secrets left in the dead Pope’s wake, secrets which could shake the foundations of the Church.
“Conclave” is a thought-provoking drama that is executed perfectly. This Oscar nominated film delivers some powerful moments, a good deal of suspense and amazing performances (especially from the always brilliant Ralph Fiennes).
Based on the novel of the same name by author Robert Harris, the 2024 drama also serves as a little mystery. While watching this film, there are quite a few moments that can really get intriguing.
I’ll admit the first few moments can be a little slow-building. But the opening moments can also be a little interesting since it gives us a glimpse of what they do after a Pope passes away. Once it’s revealed that there are quite a few secrets that could be revealed, the mystery really thickens.
All of the performances in this film are incredible, especially Stanley Tucci and Oscar nominated actor Ralph Fiennes (Tucci and Fiennes are always great in their films). Fiennes delivers yet another powerful performance and definitely deserves the Oscar win for Best Actor. John Lithgow also gives a scene-stealing performance as Cardinal Tremblay, who may, or may not, be harboring his own secrets.
Another intriguing aspect of the film are the themes. “Conclave” explores themes of progress, the inevitability of change and the flaws of human nature. The film also shows that some of the cardinals are struggling with their own faith.
During the Winter Film Festival, make sure to check out “Conclave.” This film delivers many interesting, thought-provoking moments and the ending is completely unexpected.
Cast: Ralph Fiennes (Cardinal Lawrence); Stanley Tucci (Cardinal Aldo Bellini); John Lithgow (Cardinal Tremblay); Lucian Msamati (Cardinal Adeyemi); Brian F. O’Byrne (Monsignor O’Malley); Carlos Diehz (Cardinal Benitez); Isabella Rossellini (Sister Agnes)
Writer/director: Peter Straughan (writer) (The Goldfinch); The Snowman; Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy); Edward Berger (director) (Netflix’s All Quiet on the Western Front)
Trivia: The film was announced in May 2022 and filming went from January to March 2023. While writing the screenplay, Straughan said that he met with a cardinal to discuss some of the logistics of the conclave.
“Conclave” premiered at the 51st Telluride Film Festival on August 30, 2024. The film was named one of the top ten films by the National Board of Review and the American Film Institute (AFI). Among other accolades, it received 8 Oscar nominations (including Best Picture), six Golden Globe nominations (won Best Screenplay) and tied with “Wicked” for a leading eleven nominations at the 30th Critics Choice Awards.
MPAA: Rated PG for thematic material and smoking (running time 120 minutes)
The show dates and times that “Conclave” is showing during the Winter Film Festival at the Dietrich are as follows: Fri. Feb. 21 at 7 pm; Mon. Feb. 24 at 2:30 pm; Thurs. Feb 27 at 7:30 pm; Sun. March 2 at 2:30 pm; Sat. March 8 at 4:30 pm; Wed. March 12 at 12:00 pm.
Many of the actions Cardinal Lawrence and the rest of the cardinals take during the film's conclave process are accurate to the Catholic faith and centuries of tradition. After the pope dies, his ring (called the Ring of the Fisherman) is removed and destroyed, to prevent it from being used to forge the pope's seal on documents. The Vatican makes an official announcement that the throne of the Holy See (the Catholic church's governing body) is vacant. The papal apartment is closed off with crimson ribbon and sealed with a wax papal stamp. The College of Cardinals are sequestered in apartments (the Domus Sanctae Marthae, Saint Martha's House) to eat and sleep between votes. Finally, the windows and doors to the Sistine Chapel, where the actual election takes place and ballots are cast, are darkened, shuttered, and locked to maintain the secrecy of the conclave. Some newer security measures are shown as well. When the conclave that elected Pope Francis I convened in 2013, the Sistine Chapel was swept for bugs and other electronic listening devices. ID cards were issued to all conclave servants because a reporter disguised as a servant was discovered during the conclave that elected Pope Benedict XVI in 2005. All members of the College of Cardinals were required to surrender their mobile phones and other electronic devices, Vatican City's Wi-Fi network was temporarily shut down, and wireless signal jammers were installed in the Sistine Chapel.
When Lawrence and Bellini discuss the size of the cassocks on the rolling rack, it's an indication of what happens after a new pontiff is elected. Before the new Pope first greets the faithful, lay assistants known as the papal gentlemen help him put on his robes. An array of sizes are on hand for his first appearance. The next day, the new Pope is measured for a new wardrobe.
The word conclave is derived from the Latin meaning of "a place that can be locked up," or come (together) and clavis (key).
Isabella Rossellini, who began acting in films in the 1970s, earned her first Oscar nomination for her performance in this film.
This is the fourth time a Sistine Chapel set has been built at Cinecittà Studios for a feature film, after The Agony and the Ecstasy (1965), The Shoes of the Fisherman (1968), and The Two Popes (2019).
The film is largely accurate on Catholic canon law, but the plot centers on a violation that is never explained. Since the 16th century, many men have been made cardinals secretly ("in pectore"), usually to protect them politically. Five cardinals appointed in pectore were later elected pope: Pope Leo X (1513-1521) was appointed as Cardinal Giovanni di Lorenzo de' Medici on March 9, 1489, Pope Innocent X (1644-1655) was appointed as Cardinal Giovanni Battista Pamphili on August 30, 1627, Pope Benedict XIV (1740-1758) was appointed as Cardinal Prospero Lorenzo Lambertini on December 9, 1726, Pope Gregory XVI (1831-1846) was appointed as Cardinal Bartolomeo Alberto Cappellari on March 21, 1825, and Pope Pius IX (1846-1878) was appointed as Cardinal Giovanni Maria Mastai Ferretti on December 23, 1839. According to canon law, a secret cardinal is no longer a cardinal after the pope who appointed him dies. In the novel, Vincent Cardinal Benitez remains a cardinal because the law was recently changed.
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