Like in a tremendously cinematic paradox, and without intending to give too many spoilers, the story about the victory of the dark horse in a conclave to choose a Pope could, in turn, be the dark horse at the conclave that crowns the best film of the year. The chances of Conclave, the movie, have skyrocketed in the predictions in recent weeks after winning the top award at the Baftas first, and at the SAGs last weekend, two classic barometers to gauge the temperature leading up to the Oscars night.
Like in a tremendously cinematic paradox, the conclave that Ralph Fiennes directs in fiction could be the prelude to the real election of a new Pope, given that Francis has been in critical condition for days. Furthermore, those in the know say that what Edward Berger describes in his Vatican thriller has a lot to do with what will happen in the succession of Bergoglio, intentionally or not.
Conclave starts with the sudden death of a Pope, continues with the organization of the subsequent election, and ends... We won't say how it ends, but it's surprising. Along the way, a new cardinal appointed in secret by the deceased appears, an African nun confronts a prelate over something that happened decades ago, one of the main candidates is disqualified for buying votes, and several explosions, literal and figurative, occur.
Could what we see in Conclave actually happen? Is the film well-documented or does it take too many liberties? What would a conclave expert think after watching Conclave?
So be it, let's ask three.
"It's a great movie, a noir with a very solid script, magnificent cinematography and direction of actors, and Ralph Fiennes in, probably, the best role of his career," enthusiastically begins his review Juan Orellana, professor of Audiovisual Communication at the CEU San Pablo University, film critic, and director of the magazine Pantalla 90. "It is very well-documented, the rituals are well told, there are no complaints there," he continues. And here comes the but: "I don't find the cardinals believable at all."
The three experts consulted by this newspaper agree on praising the setting. However, they do recognize situations that would be impossible in a real conclave. "Some things are a bit forced, it is not normal at all for nuns to come and go, those personal contacts in the rooms or in the garden are also not believable. I doubt that during a conclave anyone goes out for fresh air. And the dean entering the kitchen to talk to a nun... First of all, it is impossible for her to have reached there," explains Jesús Bastante, editor-in-chief of Religión Digital.
"The cardinals are caricatured, a 'woke' mix full of clichés"
One of the discussions that the film has sparked on social media is whether the situation of an unknown cardinal, appointed in secret, appearing at a conclave with voting rights could occur. The situation actually occurred upon the death of John Paul II: the cardinalate of a prelate appointed in pectore expired after the pontiff's death as he had not made the appointment public, not even in his will. The film does not clarify how, but it hints that the Pope did leave a decision that will be crucial for the course of the plot.
For Bastante, things start well, "practically faithful to the procedure stipulated for the death of a Pope," continues "with some flaws," and loses credibility towards "a grotesque ending, a desire to overcomplicate things that makes no sense." For a Spanish Vatican expert, who prefers not to be named, Conclave is, from start to finish, "an occurrence of the woke era." And here we come back to the characters: "The cardinals are caricatured, a mix of clichés with a lot of malice. There are conservatives in the Church, but the line is so thin that it is practically imperceptible," he asserts.
Jesús Bastante disagrees: "That subtlety has disappeared in the last 12 years," he says, and advances what, for him, is the great asset of Berger's film: "80% of the current cardinals have been appointed by Francis and have gone to the peripheries, they are more diverse than ever and do not know each other. I don't know if it was intentional, but Conclave reflects very well how the election of the next Pope will be."
A different shade of purple to avoid blinding the viewer
The costume designer of Conclave, the Oscar-winning Lisy Christl, in an interview with Variety mentioned that when they showed her the tunic worn by the cardinals during the conclave process, she went to see the director and warned him that after two hours of watching that, some viewers might need to visit an ophthalmologist.
The purple had to be darkened for the screen. "These are nuances that only someone very familiar with the subject would appreciate, in 90% of the movies you realize that the colors of the cardinals and bishops are made up," admits the film professor at the CEU San Pablo University, Juan Orellana.