Conclave (2024)

Conclave is a precise film. It is beautifully crafted visual delight. It is the story of the secretive ritual of the selection of a new pope. As you can probably guess, even this theoretically somber, apolitical, and pristine process doesn't really play out to be that way in real life. There are camps, agendas, and personalities. There are conflicts and betrayals. There are downright dirty tactics and machinations. All of this presented with quite a dramatic flair. Shafts of light, a muted palette, dark scenes, and a sense of anxiety keeps the atmosphere suitably cloistered. I really enjoyed Ralph Fiennes's performance. He is a chaste, driven man who continuously buts against the difficulty of doing the right thing in the world of mortals. 

I just saw this film last week just few days before the passing of Pope Francis. RIP.