Conclave (Christian Movie Review) 

Conclave is an intelligent, compelling drama that shares a complicated message about the nature of faith and the state of the church.        

About the Film 

A plotline featuring a fiercely contested election may hit a little too close to home to qualify as escapist entertainment, but Conclave has more than enough satisfying cinematic intrigue to make elections fun again. With a simple premise—the Pope has died, and the Catholic Church must select a successor—the film feels like a throwback Hollywood drama. Conclave operates at a high level in almost every regard; it’s an intelligent, masterfully crafted, compelling drama that shares a complicated message about the nature of faith and the state of the church.   

Conclave is not a “faith-based” film in the evangelical sense of the genre. Rather, it is a Hollywood drama featuring religious subject matter. Whereas many faith-centric films have been poorly crafted movies with agreeable messages (although that narrative is changing), Conclave flips the script by delivering a masterfully executed film featuring a narrative that goes in some questionable thematic directions. It can be appreciated on a technical level, even if some viewers—particularly Christians—may disagree with its ecclesiastical messaging.   

As a cinematic experience, Conclave is stimulating for reasons that are difficult to pin down. It’s a beautiful film, but it isn’t filled with jaw-dropping visual spectacle (other than a few visually striking scenes). It’s an incredibly well-acted movie, but not one where actors are given many moments to chew the scenery. Other than a massive narrative twist in its concluding moments, the story unfolds without many surprises. Yet the journey down that predictable narrative path is engrossing from start to finish.      

What makes Conclave work so well is not any one cinematic element but the sophisticated way they are woven together. The film was directed by the steady hand of Edward Berger, who won an Academy Award for his previous work on All Quiet on the Western Front (2022). Under his direction, the mature story has an understated, meditative tone. Berger is comfortable with introspective pauses, resisting the temptation to infuse the film with needless spectacle or manufactured drama.   

A character-driven story only rises as high as its characters take it, and Conclave is bolstered by superb acting. Much of the plot is mundane (repeated scenes of characters casting votes is hardly edge-of-your-seat material), but the film keeps the focus on the characters’ internal conflict. Ralph Fiennes gives an Academy-Award worthy performance in the lead role. There aren’t an abundance of Oscar-bait moments or dramatic monologues, but he does a fantastic job of subtly emoting his character’s crisis of faith.     

While the character work is subtle, the film’s point-of-view is unfortunately less so. There are almost two parallel storylines. The first (and superior) narrative thread explores the internal conflict a religious man experiences while wrestling with doubts. The second thread is a critique of the church at large (see “themes” section below). The film raises some challenging questions, but the refreshing subtlety of the first more intimate story thread is largely absent here, and the filmmaker’s voice becomes intrusive.        

A summary of Conclave’s plot may sound boring. In many ways, the film shouldn’t work. But by weaving together perfect pacing, immersive visuals, an excellent musical score, and superb acting performances, Conclave is easily one of the best, most compelling films of the year. Yes, there are some thematic elements that may cause Christians some concern, but ecclesiastical food for thought coming from a well-crafted Hollywood movie is nonetheless a welcome development.       

Does the Church Needs to Adapt Its Teachings on Sexuality?   

The drama of electing the next Pope plays out on an individual level, with various candidates vying for (or against) the position based on personal ambition. As the film progresses, however, it becomes clear that the conflict is not just between candidates but between opposing ideologies—primarily regarding sexuality.  

In one camp are the conservative cardinals who are unhappy with what they perceive to be the church’s increased acceptance of LGBTQ ideologies. On the other side are more progressive cardinals who fear that the election of a conservative Pope will “take the church back” to an undesirable era.  

In some ways, the debate is left open-ended. But by the conclusion—particularly after a shocking third-act plot twist—it seems clear which of the two camps the filmmakers are endorsing. While characters on both sides are flawed, the primary representative of the conservative position is the closest thing the film has to an antagonist. Not only is he opposed to progressive sexual views, but he is equally intolerant of other religions and regularly uses racist rhetoric. The film seems to conflate adherence to traditional understandings of sexuality with ignorance and bigotry.   

In a pivotal speech, a character declares to his fellow clergymen, “The church is not tradition. The church is not the past. The church is what we do next.” It’s a call to forsake the traditional teachings on sexuality and to embrace the sexual inclusivity of the modern world. The film’s ending emphasizes this conviction in a symbolic way. The priests are sequestered for the duration of the conclave. When the window shades are finally lifted, light floods into the building as a character looks out into the brightly lit world. The implication is that after embracing the progressive path forward, the church is stepping out of the darkness and entering a better new world.