Film: Conclave
Cast: Ralph Fiennes, Stanley Tucci, John Lithgow, Isabella Rossellini,
Lucian Msamati, Carlos Diehz, Sergio Castellitto, Brían F. O`Byrne
Director: Edward Berger
Rating:3.5/5
Runtime: 120 min.

Adapted from Robert Harris’s 2016 novel of the same name, Conclave takes us deep behind closed doors into the hallowed halls of the Vatican following the sudden death of the Pope. Contentious issues take center stage as contenders like Cardinal Bellini (Stanley Tucci), Cardinal Adeyemi (Lucian Msamati) and Cardinal Tremblay (John Lithgow) get into the fray to ascend to the papacy as the three frontrunners.

Cardinal Thomas Lawrence (Ralph Fiennes), one of the faithfuls, the Camerlengo (similar to an acting Pope) is tasked with overseeing the conclave. Despite his integrity and deep faith, Lawrence finds himself caught-up in the machinations of the cardinals.The film gives us an inside view of the ancient, mysterious process that relates to the assembly of Catholic cardinals to select a new Pope - the covert and ancient ritual of electing a new one. Lawrence, sequestered as he is
in the Vatican with the Catholic Church`s most powerful leaders until the process is complete, finds himself dealing with conspiracy theories, issues arising from faith, ego, entitlement and very human frailties that could lead to the church’s downfall. The film exposes secret struggles for power and disputes about foundational values that are as old as time.