Conclave
In general, I think Catholicism is just made for cinema. The aesthetic, the mystique, the absolutely ballin 'fits. This is 120 minutes of fashion greatness. Put all of this in ancient, divine buildings, and then insert Gregorian chants or choir singing, and you have a 8/10 minimum. Traditional Roman Catholicism needs to be in more movies.
And this is as traditional as it gets. Cardinals in one place, electing the next Pope. I really don't have that much to say about the meat of this movie besides saying Ralph Fiennes is completely electric in this role. This is not, on its own, a particularly interesting movie, but I think it is carried by his performance, a magical score, and incredible cinematography. Every frame feels so intentional and effective.
My only real issue is the final 30 minutes or so. The majority of this movie is entirely grounded and feels authentic. Obviously I have no idea how these things work, but I would think they go like this. I love the small things, like the intersection of tradition and the modern world - seeing a Cardinal scroll his phone or smoke darts outside. But in the latter half, I feel like they let go of the rope a bit, and it turns a little Hollywood. Big reveals to swing the election, grand speeches, dramatic events. There is also a comeback story that is not so subtley foreshadowed. They also tend to focus on the hot-button modern issues like gay marriage and acceptance of minorities, and I just really get a sense that Cardinals are mostly debating the nichest of theological issues behind closed doors. I also thought that this movie glorifies liberal ideals and contextualizes them like it's an American election rather than electing a new Pope.
Those issues aren't deal breakers, but I thought the first 90 minutes were truly special, able to create a movie that felt truly unique and authentic. It lets go of it some, but it's still a great movie, and surely will have me more invested in the upcoming conclave.
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