It's probably not coincidental that this film was released right before the 2024 Presidential election in the United States. It's based on British author, Robert Harris' 2016 novel. The filmmaker here is German director, Edward Berger whose film All Quiet on the Western Front (2022) won the Oscar for Best International Feature at the 95th Academy Awards. This is his highly anticipated follow-up. Instead of the horrors of World War I, Berger takes us inside the Vatican and specifically inside the Sistine Chapel to show us how drama could be mined during the time when a new Pope has to be chosen. The screenplay by Peter Straughan, the Oscar-nominee for Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011), doesn't have to craft battle scenes or trench warfare, depicting epic violence, at least not any of the physical kind. One could argue though that this film does have its battles and its version of trench warfare but it's all of the psychical and religious variety.
Ralph Fiennes (The English Patient and Schindler's List) stars as Thomas Lawrence, a British cardinal and the Dean of the College of Cardinals. He basically is the leader of the archbishops who were hand picked by the Pope to be his senior-most advisors. About a hundred of them have the power to vote for a new Pope when the occurrence arrives. The beginning of this film is such an occurrence. Thomas has this managerial role but he doesn't want it. Prior to the Pope's death, he asked to resign his archbishop duties. He basically wanted to leave the church. He was having a crisis of faith. He was having doubts. It becomes ironic that once the cardinals become sequestered, Thomas' name is floated as a candidate to be the next Pope.
Stanley Tucci (The Hunger Games and The Devil Wears Prada) co-stars as Aldo Bellini, an American cardinal who had been working at the Vatican. He's friends with Thomas and pushes for Thomas to be a candidate. However, when Thomas says he doesn't want the job, Aldo's name also becomes a potential replacement for the Pope. Aldo makes it known though that he has very liberal views. He's pro-LGBT issues. Yet, he never clarifies what that means or what he would do in regard to recognition of same-sex marriage or other matters of equality. He's also pro-women and suggests women should have a greater role in the church but again no specific policy changes. His main goal is to prevent a conservative candidate from winning because he's afraid that a more conservative papacy will result in a regression of the liberal advances made with the previous Pope.
The film follows the various ballots or rounds of voting that the hundred or so cardinals have. The rule is that the cardinals stay sequestered, no contact with the outside world until they choose a new Pope. In order to do so, one candidate has to get over 70 votes. The first ballot doesn't result in a majority. Aldo gets a small number of votes and so does Thomas. However, a couple of conservative cardinals get a greater number of votes. This worries Thomas and especially Aldo. Yet, Aldo believes that the ballots could last forever unless they start to campaign and rally others. At first, the votes were happening without much consultation. After the initial ballots, Aldo wants to start coordinating. The problem arises that others might also be coordinating, but in ways that might be just as dirty as tactics in the worst political campaigns.
John Lithgow (The Crown and 3rd Rock from the Sun) also co-stars as Joseph Tremblay, a Canadian cardinal who is a candidate who has been getting a lot more of the votes. His tactics for doing so might be a bit questionable, if not more so. Thomas also gets information that Joseph might not be eligible for the papacy. Joseph denies everything and insists that it's basically a witch hunt, if anyone is accusing him of anything. Thomas has to become a detective, investigating not only Joseph but others who might be engaging in underhanded things that might make them ineligible to become the next Pope.
The whole thing becomes a microcosm for politics in general. One could even compare it to the politics involved in running for President of the United States. It could be a microcosm for anything in which people have to rally votes in order to pick a new leader. In a lot of ways, it's an examination of ambition and what men will do in order to attain power, be it for selfish and even non-selfish reasons. It's also about the international divisions that can play out on a world stage where cultures and countries are at odds over certain issues. In that, this film could also be an examination of xenophobia.
Finally, the film in its last moments could also be an examination of sexism within the Catholic Church. However, that examination isn't really an examination, as it is a third act surprise. It's not even a third act surprise. It's more of a surprise in the final three minutes of the film. It's not enough time to be an examination. It's more or less a twist. It's not on the level of M. Night Shyamalan. It does make me curious as to what the aftermath would be of this ending, but then the film stops before any consequence can be realized. The ending makes a case as to why gender-based discrimination should not occur within the church and one's gender should not determine a person's eligibility for a job. Yet, because the film ends where it ends, we'll never see the characters herein reckon with the end twist.
Rated PG for thematic material and smoking.
Running Time: 2 hrs.
In theaters.