Conclave
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.
Critics Sentiment
Benitez rebukes Tedesco's call for holy war, drawing on his experience in Afghanistan
Lawrence confronts Benitez, who reveals he was born with a uterus and ovaries
The film swings sharply downward from its peak of audience enthusiasm at Benitez's election as Pope Innocent XIV (score 8.7) to its most divisive moment when Lawrence learns of Benitez's intersex anatomy (score 5.8), a drop of nearly three points driven by widespread reviewer complaints that the twist felt grafted on from a different film.
Conclave builds steadily from a gripping, atmospheric opening through an increasingly tense investigative thriller middle act, reaching its emotional and thematic apex with Benitez's rebuke of Tedesco and his overwhelming election as pope. The film then suffers a pronounced sentiment drop in its final ten minutes, where the intersex revelation divides audiences sharply between those who find it a bold, faithful adaptation choice and those who feel it undermines the film's carefully constructed realism. The overall arc is one of sustained excellence punctuated by a contested landing, with Ralph Fiennes' performance and Berger's technical craft earning near-universal praise throughout.
Full cast
Showing 20 of 24
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
Merab Ninidze
Sabbadin
Thomas Loibl
Mandorff
Jacek Koman
Wozniak
Bruno Novelli
Dead Pope
Rony Kramer
Mendoza
Valerio Da Silva
Father Haas
Joseph Mydell
Nakitanda
Vincenzo Failla
Guttoso
Garrick Hagon
Krasinski
Madhav Sharma
Landolfi
Loris Loddi
Villanueva
Roberto Citran
Lombardi
Crew
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