Conclave (film)

''Conclave'' is a 2024 political thriller film directed by Edward Berger and written by Peter Straughan, based on the 2016 novel by Robert Harris. The film stars Ralph Fiennes, Stanley Tucci, John Lithgow, Sergio Castellitto, and Isabella Rossellini. In the film, Cardinal Thomas Lawrence (Fiennes) organizes a conclave to elect the next pope and finds himself investigating secrets and scandals about the major candidates.

After premiering at the 51st Telluride Film Festival on 30 August 2024, ''Conclave'' was released in theaters in the United States by Focus Features on 25 October 2024 and in the United Kingdom by Black Bear UK on 29 November 2024. The film received positive reviews from critics, who praised the performances, directing, screenplay, and cinematography. The film has grossed $125.9 million worldwide on a $20 million production budget. The film experienced a resurgence in popularity following the death of Pope Francis in April 2025 and the subsequent conclave in May that resulted in the election of Pope Leo XIV, who reportedly saw the film.

''Conclave'' was named one of the top ten films of 2024 by the National Board of Review and the American Film Institute. Among other accolades, it won four awards at the 78th British Academy Film Awards (tying ''The Brutalist'' for most of the ceremony), including Best Film, and also won the Golden Globe Award for Best Screenplay and the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture. At the 97th Academy Awards, it received eight nominations, including Best Picture, and won Best Adapted Screenplay.

Plot

After the pope dies of a heart attack, the College of Cardinals, under the leadership of its dean, Thomas Lawrence of the United Kingdom, convenes to elect a successor. The four cardinals who emerge as likely candidates are Aldo Bellini of the United States, a progressive reformer; Joshua Adeyemi of Nigeria, a social conservative; Joseph Tremblay of Canada, a moderate; and Goffredo Tedesco of Italy, a staunch traditionalist.

Archbishop Janusz Woźniak, the prefect of the papal household, tells Lawrence that the pope demanded Tremblay's resignation before dying, which Tremblay denies. Bellini, meanwhile, tells his supporters that his goal is to prevent Tedesco from winning the papacy. Lawrence is surprised by the last-minute arrival of Mexican-born Archbishop Vincent Benítez of Kabul, whom the pope named cardinal '' in pectore'' the previous year.

Lawrence opens the deliberations with an impromptu homily encouraging the college to embrace uncertainty, which some interpret as an open declaration of his papal ambition. No one obtains the two-thirds majority necessary to win, though Adeyemi commands a lead over Tedesco and Tremblay while Bellini and Lawrence split the progressive vote. Monsignor Raymond O'Malley, Lawrence's assistant, discovers the pope paid for Benítez to be flown to Geneva for a medical appointment that Benítez later cancelled.

On the second day, the college witnesses an altercation between Adeyemi and Sister Shanumi, a Nigerian nun recently transferred to Vatican City. Lawrence speaks with Shanumi, who confesses to a past illicit relationship that led to the birth of a son. Adeyemi confirms the story when pressed. Though Lawrence is bound to secrecy, a whisper campaign derails Adeyemi's candidacy. Bellini reluctantly decides to back Tremblay.

Working with Sister Agnes, the nun acting as head caterer and housekeeper, Lawrence discovers Tremblay arranged for Shanumi's transfer. When confronted, Tremblay claims he did so at the pope's request. Lawrence then breaks into the pope's sealed apartment, where he finds documents indicating Tremblay paid cardinals for votes. He shows the documents to Bellini, whose plea not to reveal their existence sparks an argument.

On the third day, Lawrence and Agnes publicize Tremblay's actions, effectively removing him from contention. Lawrence then reconciles with Bellini and agrees to stand against Tedesco. He votes for himself during the deliberations, but before he can cast his vote, he is blown off his feet by an explosion that damages the Sistine Chapel. The college learns the explosion was part of a series of suicide bombings currently taking place throughout Europe. While Tedesco calls for a religious war against Islam, Benítez argues against meeting violence with violence and chastises everyone for prioritizing their political agendas over their shared religious mission.

Voting resumes, and as light shines through a broken window, the college overwhelmingly elects Benítez, who chooses the papal name of Innocent. Lawrence is initially enthusiastic until O'Malley pulls him aside to discuss Benítez's canceled medical appointment. When confronted by Lawrence, Benítez reveals he was born with a uterus and ovaries but was unaware of their existence until an appendectomy revealed them. The appointment was for a laparoscopic hysterectomy that he decided against, believing he should remain as God made him. Lawrence wanders the Vatican grounds, listening to the crowds cheer Pope Innocent's election, before returning to his room, opening the window and observing a trio of young nuns chattering in the courtyard below.

Cast

Production

It was announced in May 2022 that Ralph Fiennes, John Lithgow, Stanley Tucci, and Isabella Rossellini were set to star in the film, with Edward Berger directing. Additional casting was announced in January 2023 as production began in Rome. Filming also took place at Cinecittà. Filming concluded in March.

The set designers took great care to replicate the Sistine Chapel, though they took some artistic licence with the Domus Sanctae Marthae. They made their set more prison-like to enhance dramatic tension because they felt that the real version was rather dull. Costume designers visited Gammarelli, Tirelli Costumi, and several museums in Rome as part of their research. For the cardinals' red attire, costume designer Lisy Christl opted for a hue used in 17th-century cardinal vestments, rather than the scarlet one from modern-day ones, believing it be "far more beautiful and far easier for our eyes".
While writing the screenplay, Peter Straughan said that he met with a cardinal to discuss the logistics of the conclave. He also took a private tour of the Vatican, and said he did not feel hostility while there and felt that the Vatican had been open to him.

Soundtrack

German composer Volker Bertelmann composed the score to ''Conclave'', his fifth collaboration with Berger. In an interview with '' IndieWire'', Bertelmann discussed developing a sound that was neither "too ecclesiastical