19/41

He finds himself at the center of a conspiracy that could shake the very foundations of the Catholic Church

Story

When Cardinal Lawrence is tasked with overseeing one of the world's most secret and ancient events: the election of a new Pope. Based on Robert Harris' 2016 novel "Conclave." Sister Agnes: Although we sisters were meant to be invisible, God still gave us eyes and ears. "Conclave," based on the book, is essentially a political thriller set against the backdrop of the machinations of the selection process for a new Pope following the unexpected death of the current Pope.

The film's score is imposing and loud, contrasting perfectly with Edward Berger's skillfully composed visuals and shots

The film makes its way through the Vatican's secret process and is full of deceit, political intrigue, secrecy, and more. The central highlight of the film are the great "acting" performances by Ralph Fiennes, Stan Tucci, John Lithgow, and Lucian Msamati. At the time of writing this in October 2024, Ralph Fiennes is probably the best actor in the world who doesn't have an Oscar on his shelf, but I wouldn't fall over in shock if that changed after this year.

I guess so?" Don't get me wrong, it's not offensive and it doesn't ruin the film, but it was a bizarre twist that left me a little confused

The only odd thing that left me a little confused is that, without giving too much away or giving away details, there is some kind of twist that completely hits the viewer out of the blue, which made my audience at the screening collectively say, "Whaaat? Um. Okay?

A must-see for old school film buffs and political machine junkies

As a normal person who is 0% religious, I was completely engrossed and captivated throughout the entire film, even though it does move along a little slowly in the beginning. However, once the film picks up speed and gains some momentum, it maintains that momentum for the rest of the film. Super easy 9/10.

Check out our list of exciting new films from this year's film festivals, including Venice, TIFF, the New York Film Festival, and more