Conclave is the only serious contender that could upset awards juggernaut (and great film) Anora at this year’s Academy Awards. At the BAFTA Awards, it won Best Film, Best British Film, Best Screenplay (Adapted), and Best Editing. At the SAG awards, it won Best Ensemble – sometimes a precursor to Best Picture. It has been nominated and has won dozens of awards from critics, unions, guilds, societies, etc.
Conclave has been nominated for 8 Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actress, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Original Score, Best Production Design, Best Film Editing, and Best Costume Design. One of the most celebrated films of 2024, it grossed over 100 million at the worldwide box office, rare for a drama to perform so well in current years. Directed by Academy Award Winner Edward Berger (All Quiet On The Western Front) and based on the 2016 book by Robert Harris.
It is the story of a cardinal who uncovers a scandal involving the late pope and the candidates to replace him in a fraught nominating process. It stars Ralph Fiennes in one of his most assured and subtle performances, which has won him raves since the premiere at The Telluride Film Festival. It also stars Sergio Castellitto, John Lithgow, Lucian Msamati, Isabella Rossellini, and Stanley Tucci, who are all remarkable.
Immersive was fortunate enough to speak with several filmmakers behind this accomplished film. The themes in the film concern one of the world’s oldest institutions, which is stuck in ways that date back centuries, and how that led a cardinal to have a crisis of faith. Screenwriter Peter Straughan (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy) found the novel to be gripping and propulsive, “It works like a political dilemma on one level. I read it in one sitting. You’re in an ancient and spiritual world and then the modern world jumped into it. I found that interesting.”
It explores a crisis of faith in an age with fewer believers. What is the role of religion in the present day, and can it be reformed to be more in step with modern times? Director Edward Berger pondered the importance of the church, “What if we didn’t have a temple, synagogue, mosque, or church? History and tradition are a big part of our lives. All of that would be missing. We would be pretty much lost at sea. It is an important institution that gives us a cultural identity.”
It is set in the context of picking a new pope; the story plays out like a thriller. Filmed in Rome, mainly at the historic Cinecetta Studios with various stunning locations and meticulously built sets that contrast the gaudiness of the church with the secluded quarters of its subjects. The setting inspired Academy Award Nominated Production Designer Suzie Davies, “There are elements of Rome that we had access and the choices were immense. Our Vatican City was a jigsaw of locations, and the building was fascinating. We scouted with DP Stéphane Fontaine and Edward, and we found many great places.” While the church sets were massive and ornate, the private quarters were quite different. Berger elaborates, “The Casa Santa Marta had to feel the opposite, a claustrophobic and cold oppressive place that when the shutters go up in the end you feel a relief of life coming back in. And so that was represented. I knew most of the places in Rome were basically marble or white or black or gray. It’s not very colorful.”
The crew of expert craftspeople meticulously made this film, and the statement of color was intentional and powerful. Academy Award Nominee Costume Designer Lisy Christl designed the costumes with a very unique shade of red. The costumes played a pivotal role in the film. Berger elaborates, “The use of red was not meant to be beautiful. The cardinal robes are very red though the fabric looks a little bit cheap. It looked much richer 50 years ago, and we kind of designed it to have that richness, that lusciousness of color, that the fabric is just beautiful that Lisy picked.” Red is a very important color in the Catholic Church. Christl adds, “A color can create a distance and the color can draw you in. Red is the color of blood. It’s for love. It’s for fire. It is a very powerful and meaningful color.”
Berger brought on editor Nick Emerson through a mutual love and respect for 70s thrillers like Klute, The Parallax View, and All the President’s Men. Emerson enthuses, “I mentioned them in the interview. It turned out that this was going to be his approach. He wanted to aspire to that level of craft, tension, and based around being incredibly rigorous with constructing these things. Those films greatly influence me, not just in Conclave but in everything I do.” The atmosphere of tension and paranoia was the right tone for these times and this tale of intrigue. The score by Academy Award Nominee Volker Bertelmann added to this feeling.
Berger’s adaptation is a powerful and timely film that you will want to talk about long after seeing it. It will have a long life beyond this awards season. I certainly look forward to Berger’s next film, The Ballad Of A Small Player, starring Colin Farrell and Tilda Swinton.
Conclave is available to stream and is playing at select theaters.
