Film Review - Conclave (2025)

Conclave is the new movie by Edward Berger who did All Quiet on the Western Front for Netflix a couple of years ago and concerns the death of the Pope in the Vatican from a heart attack, Cardinal Lawrence (Ralph Fiennes) must now lead the precession to select a new Holy Father and this will bring many secrets to the light.

Conclave is a flat out winner that had me from the get go and didn’t let up, Berger’s direction for a start is terrific, he knows when to increase the tension and make the selection of a new pope have as much intrigue and surprises as possible (and you do not want to know much about this movie before seeing it) and throughout the whole film I felt like I was near or on the edge of my seat wanting to know each twist and turn and surprise around the corner.

The film also has some terrific performances across the board, Ralph Fiennes deserves an Academy Award for his work here as he has to manage this secluded tradition with the political games being played around him as well as trying to find out why the Holy Father did certain things he did before he died, Stanley Tucci and John Lithgow are also great in their supporting roles while Sergio Castillitto and Carlos Diehz shine in their roles as well.

Also the design of this film is great and really makes you feel transported to inside the walls of the Holy City where the outside world is a distraction and must not influence the Cardinals as they make this most important choice.

And so that was Conclave and this along with A Complete Unknown kick off 2025 as a movie year with gusto and this is very highly recommended, 4 and a half out of 5.