WHAT HAPPENS BEHIND THESE WALLS WILL CHANGE EVERYTHING.
After the death of the Pope, Cardinal Lawrence (Ralph Fiennes) gathers the College for a conclave where conservative and liberal forces clash.
An excellent adaptation of Robert Harris’s novel that not only maintains an air of mystery throughout (not least thanks to the arrival of a little-known cardinal who represents Kabul of all places), but also offers food for thought and political entertainment as the rivaling factions of the Church are effectively illustrated.
Perhaps not as intellectually striking as one is led to believe, but the ending is nevertheless true to the film’s theme. Handsomely shot; great, tortured performance by Fiennes.
2024-U.S.-U.K. 120 min. Color. Widescreen. Directed by Edward Berger. Screenplay: Peter Straughan. Novel: Robert Harris. Cinematography: Stéphane Fontaine. Music: Volker Bertelmann. Cast: Ralph Fiennes (Thomas Cardinal Lawrence), Stanley Tucci (Aldo Cardinal Bellini), John Lithgow (Joseph Cardinal Tremblay), Sergio Castellitto, Isabella Rossellini, Lucian Msamati.
Trivia: Co-executive produced by Berger, Fiennes and Tomas Alfredson (who was set to direct at an early stage).
Golden Globe: Best Screenplay.
Last word: “The [scene] that I remember the most was one of the first few days of the film, where Edward photographed us like dots — red dots to cardinals, blue dots to the nuns. Just by the way we moved, it was clear the hierarchy. We were these blue dots that crossed the frame very fast, probably with a destination, probably the kitchen. The cardinals, instead, took their time, breaking up into this group and that group. Just that shot told about the hierarchy — male and female never mixing, nuns being busy serving, and men talking, discussing, socializing. It was incredible that it could be just visual.” (Rossellini, Collider)
