Conclave

"What happens behind these walls will change everything."

2024 2h 0m EN

👍

7.2

SOLID

🔥

93%

CERTIFIED FRESH

👌

METACRITIC

⭐

7.4

IMDB

★7.2TMDB · 3,684🍅93%Rotten Tomatoes●79Metacritic★7.4IMDB · 289,158

DramaThriller

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

After the unexpected death of the Pope, Cardinal Lawrence is tasked with managing the covert and ancient ritual of electing a new one. Sequestered in the Vatican with the Catholic Church’s most powerful leaders until the process is complete, Lawrence finds himself at the center of a conspiracy that could lead to its downfall.

“What happens behind these walls will change everything.”

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Cast

Ralph Fiennes
Lawrence
Stanley Tucci
Bellini
John Lithgow
Tremblay
Isabella Rossellini
Sister Agnes
Lucian Msamati
Adeyemi
Carlos Diehz
Benitez
Sergio Castellitto
Tedesco
Brían F. O'Byrne
O'Malley

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Edward Berger
Writers: Cristiano Donzelli, Peter Straughan
Languages: Italian, Spanish, Latin, English
Countries: United Kingdom, United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Made its money back 5.8× over at the box office.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 2 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 4 languages: Italian, Spanish, Latin, English.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: United Kingdom, United States of America.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

CAST

Did you know

251+ people credited in cast and crew — a small city's worth of labour.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Edward Berger, shot by Stéphane Fontaine. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Volker Bertelmann. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Nick Emerson shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Edward Berger directs. Stéphane Fontaine behind the camera. Volker Bertelmann scores. Nick Emerson cuts. Made its budget back several times over at the box office. Produced in United Kingdom, United States of America. Dialogue in Italian, Spanish, Latin, English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Made its money back 5.8× over at the box office.
2Released 2 years ago.
3Dialogue crosses 4 languages: Italian, Spanish, Latin, English.
4International production across 2 countries: United Kingdom, United States of America.
5251+ people credited in cast and crew — a small city's worth of labour.
6Directed by Edward Berger, shot by Stéphane Fontaine. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
7Original score by Volker Bertelmann. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
8Editor Nick Emerson shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
9Ralph Fiennes and Stanley Tucci and John Lithgow carry the top of the cast.
10Marketing tagline: "What happens behind these walls will change everything.".
11IMDB entry: tt20215234 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
12The top-rated still from this film on TMDB has 7 community votes — a signal the frame composition stuck with viewers.
13Classified under 16 themes, including "vatican (holy see)", "pope", "religion", "election".

The technical file

Cinematography: Stéphane Fontaine
Original score: Volker Bertelmann
Editing: Nick Emerson
Production design: Suzie Davies
Costume design: Lisy Christl
Makeup / hair: Luigi Rocchetti
VFX supervisor: Viktor Müller
Sound: Ben Baird
Stunt coordinator: Marco Pancrazi
Runtime: 120 min · 2h 0m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $20,000,000
Box office: $115,657,988
Return: 578% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG
IMDB: Conclave (2024)
Rotten Tomatoes: 93% 🍅 Fresh
Metacritic: 79/100
IMDB rating: 7.4/10 · 289,158 votes
MPAA: PG

Awards

Won 1 Oscar. 95 wins & 327 nominations total

Also by

Edward Berger

Stills · wallpapers

Selected frames

Full-resolution frames — open one to save it as a wallpaper.

Wallpaper

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

Brent Marchant2024-10-31
★ 6/10
It’s more than a little frustrating when a film seemingly has all of the elements needed to make it work except the one that’s most crucial, the one that enables a production to brilliantly succeed or doom it to failure – the story. Such is the case with director Edward Berger’s latest, the much-anticipated, much-celebrated drama about the convening of a papal conclave to select a new pope. From a technical standpoint, the filmmaker has pulled together everything that should make this an epic picture – a gorgeous production design, stunning and inventive cinematography, and a stellar cast featuring superb performances by the likes of Ralph Fiennes, Stanley Tucci, John Lithgow and Isabella Rossellini, as well as fine turns by such lesser-known performers (at least to American audiences) as Lucian Msamati and Sergio Castellito. The picture also raises some insightful observations (though a little too infrequently for my tastes) about the current state of the Roman Catholic Church, particularly its foot-dragging on implementing reforms, the incessant high-profile scandals that have rocked the institution, and the rising tide of unflattering public perceptions among its increasingly skeptical practitioners, all of which weigh heavily on the College of Cardinals in determining who should be named as the new Holy Father. Unfortunately, though, the story and script leave a lot to be desired. For starters, much of the film’s opening act moves by at a glacial pace, frequently causing one’s eyelids to become more than a little heavy. As the picture moves into the meat of the story – the conclave itself – it waxes somewhat melodramatic, not unlike a glorified 1980s prime time TV soap opera. Its attempt to come across as an intrigue-laced thriller amounts to more than a succession of backstabbing segments in which the leading candidates to become the next pontiff are systematically eliminated through the revelation of skeletons in their respective closets. Finally, as the movie enters the stretch run, it throws in several twists and turns that either come completely out of left field (and somewhat implausibly at that) or that predictably materialize on cue thanks to the planting of patently obvious clues early on that were wholly impossible to ignore as the story plays out. Regrettably, these narrative foibles undermine all of the other fine attributes that this production has going for it, ultimately amounting to a case of being long on style but a little skimpy on substance, a shortcoming that also plagued Berger’s last feature outing, “All Quiet on the Western Front” (2022). Unlike many others who have been so profoundly moved and thoroughly captivated by this release, perhaps my not having been born and raised Roman Catholic has somehow prevented me from fully appreciating the depth and magnitude accorded to this offering’s contents. But, as someone who seeks to evaluate everything I screen on an equal footing, I can’t help but observe that “Conclave” simply doesn’t measure up when it comes to what it takes to make a genuine big screen epic.
Manuel São Bento2024-11-29
★ 9/10
FULL SPOILER-FREE REVIEW @ https://movieswetextedabout.com/conclave-review-a-riveting-vatican-thriller-destined-for-year-end-accolades/ "Conclave surpasses expectations for a mystery-thriller set in the Vatican's inner sanctum. It's a focused exploration of characters shaped by religious convictions and personal ambitions, offering a fascinating reflection on morality, faith, and power. Edward Berger's technically flawless direction guides a brilliant cast through a narrative that never underestimates the viewer's intelligence. Peter Straughan's screenplay tackles universal themes of corruption and idealism with rare sensitivity, balancing narrative tension with emotional depth. With Ralph Fiennes' magnetic performance, Volker Bertelmann's gripping score, and Stéphane Fontaine's immersive cinematography, Conclave stands as one of the most captivating films of the year." Rating: A
r96sk2024-11-29
★ 8/10
<em>'Conclave'</em> has a lot to enjoy about it, even if it is slightly overlong. The performances are its biggest strength, which is an element that is critical to get correct for talky films like this - and thankfully this one does get it right. Ralph Fiennes is terrific, you know what you're going to get from Fiennes and I mean that entirely positively. John Lithgow, Stanley Tucci, Lucian Msamati and Sergio Castellitto merit praise too. I love the score, while the cinematography is splendid. The story is very watchable, even for someone like me who has zero interest in religion. I will say that the film does last a bit longer than it needs to, I wasn't ever bored or anything close but across the final chunk I was awaiting the end credits. It feels like a two-hour movie - not negatively, just noticeably.