CRITIQUE – In this gripping thriller adapted from a novel by Robert Harris, Ralph Fiennes superbly plays a cardinal plunged into the throes of the election of a new pope.
Compared to this, agreeing on the government budget looks like a walk in the park. Nothing is more complicated than electing a new pope. The sovereign pontiff has just died. We must choose our successor. The cardinals meet at the Vatican under the leadership of their dean, the venerable Ralph Fiennes, who does not feel up to the task of donning the supreme habit. Doubt assails him. He will never measure up. Around him, his colleagues have fewer qualms. They all see themselves donning the white cassock.
There is the very reactionary Sergio Castellitto, fulminating against migrants. John Lithgow, honeyed, hides his game well. The elegant Stanley Tucci, who we definitely don’t see enough on the screens, plays the liberal card. There is also this Mexican, a last minute guest, who was not on the list and who was officiating in Kabul. Egos jostle each other. Hypocrisy reigns. The scarlet jackets turn around. These palinodies clearly show that the most respectable men…
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