Ralph Fiennes in a sophisticated thriller inside the Vatican

Monday 02nd December 2024 11:29 AM

The film is adapted from the eponymous novel by Robert Harris, the latter notably distinguished himself as the author and screenwriter of I accuse directed by Roman Polanski on the Dreyfus affair. Also he has more notoriety in France than the director Edward Berger who signs Conclavewhile the latter is at the head of numerous films and series still unpublished in France.

It is therefore a great discovery that this original thriller with a prestigious cast – Ralph Fiennes, Stanley Tucci, Isabella Rossellini and John Lithgow – which hits the screens on Wednesday December 4.

If Edward Berger proves to be one of the most classic in the staging of Conclavethe Vatican setting offers him the most original and creative opportunities. It is the screenwriter Peter Straughan, author among others of the script of The Mole (Tomas Alfredson, 2012) that we owe this success. He adapted the eponymous novel by Robert Harris, also author of the novels and scripts ofEnigma and of The Ghost Writeramong others.

Upon the sudden and unexpected death of the pope, it falls to Cardinal Lawrence (Ralph Fiennes) to organize the conclave which brings together the cardinals to elect the new pontiff. Internal rivalries intensify to the rhythm of successive votes between the cardinals, while Lawrence discovers that the deceased pope held a secret determining the choice of his successor.

Unable to film in the Vatican, all the places where the action takes place Conclave were recreated in the studio at Cinecitta, in Rome. The whole nonetheless gives rise to decorations of great beauty evocative of Vatican pomp, and to very graphic images emanating from the cardinal purple. Ralph Fiennes is remarkable as the cardinal organizer of the conclave, Isabella Rossellini is mysterious and intriguing as the mother superior, and Stanley Tucci, like John Lithgow, are among the most vindictive as pretenders to the throne.

The tensest plot in this unusual setting for a thriller, coupled with a well-appointed cast, is part of one of the best films of the end of the year. So many assets should place him among the favorites in the Oscar race expected on March 2, 2025.

The poster for “Conclave” by Edward Berger. (SND)

Genre :Thriller
Directors: Edward Berger
Actors: Ralph Fiennes, Stanley Tucci, John Lithgow, Isabella Rossellini, Lucian Msamati, Brían F. O'Byrne, Merab Ninidze, Sergio Castellitto
Pays : United States/Great Britain
Duration : 2h01
Sortie : Wednesday December 4, 2024

Synopsis : When the pope dies unexpectedly and mysteriously, the cardinal Lawrence finds himself in charge of organizing the selection of his successor. As the political machinations within the Vatican intensify, he realizes that the deceased had been keeping a secret from them that he must uncover before a new pope is chosen. What happens behind these walls will change the face of the world.