Conclave the political thriller about electing a new Pope seems the perfect film for our own religious mutt to watch and review on the second day of Hanukkah. This fictional story is based on the century’s old tradition of electing a new Pope when the current one dies. All the Catholic Cardinals from around the globe hot foot it to Rome, where they are sequester away, until they can agree on who to elect as the next Pope.
The task of organizing the Conclave falls to Dean Cardinal Lawrence (a superb performance by Ralph Fiennes) who also actually reluctantly becomes one of the candidates for the vacant Papal seat too. It is also his (unofficial) role to make some sense of the rumors and scandals attached to some of the Cardinals who are leading candidates for the Post.
The timing of the movie’s release in the US in particular could not be more appropriate as it comes hot on the heels of one of the worst presidential elections of all time. Its not a simple case of ‘left’ versus ‘right’ but the complete abandonment of truth, respect and common courtesy to win no matter the costs to our democracy.
Academy Award nominee filmmaker Edward Berger has gathered a truly first class international cast to support Fiennes that includes John Lithgow, Stanley Tucci, Sergio Castllitto, Lucian Msamati, Brían F. O’Byrne and Carlos Dehr. Isabella Rossellini has a very small, but significant part for which she has been nominated for a Golden Globe Award, which brings back memories of Judi Dench getting an Academy Award for her 8 minute performance in Shakespeare in Love.
Despite the fact the Vatican itself with all it is beliefs and laws that i could never condone, is the star of the show here, I will agree its a stunning settiing for one of the best political thrillers of this year. Plus there is a significant unpredictable queer content that totally caught us unaware that made us love it even more.
&nb
ROGER WALKER-DACK. Creator, Owner, Editor-in-Chief. Miami Beach, FL / Provincetown, MA Member of G.A.L.E.C.A. (Gay & Lesbian Entertainment Critics Association) and NLGJA The Association of LGBT Journalists. and The Online Film Critics Society. Ex Contributing Editor The Gay Uk & Contributor Edge Media Former CEO and Menswear Designer of Roger Dack Ltd in the UK ‘one of the hardest-working journalists in the business‘ Micheal Goff of Towleroad |