In the mood for a weighty, cerebral thriller? Boy, have your prayers been answered.
How to watch Conclave in Australia
Conclave is screening in Australian cinemas from January 9, 2025.
Conclave
What is Conclave about?
Written by British playwright Peter Straughan (2011’s equally cerebral Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy) and directed by German filmmaker Edward Berger (Netflix’s All Quiet on the Western Front), Conclave is an adaptation of Robert Harris’ 2016 novel of the same name. We set our scene in the Vatican, where the Pope has recently died. The College of Cardinals is quickly assembled to elect his successor, organised by Cardinal Thomas Lawrence, Dean of the College. There’s no question hanging over the late Pope’s departure from this earth, though. This one is more concerned with the potlitical and ecumenical horse trading that goes on.
The cast of Conclave
Quite the cracking cast of cardinals and other clerics on hand for this one. There’s Ralph Fiennes as Cardinal Thomas Lawrence, Stanley Tucci as Cardinal Bellini, John Lithgow as Cardinal Tremblay, Sergio Castellitto as Cardinal Tedesco, and Isabella Rossellini as Sister Agnes. Plus Lucian Msamati, Carlos Diehz, Brían F. O’Byrne, Merab Ninidze, Thomas Loibl, Jacek Koman, and Loris Loddi rounding out the ecclesiastical ensemble.
Conclave trailer
Why we’re excited about Conclave
Robert Harris’ airport novels are generally good fodder for adaptation, and the critical acclaim this one received indicate this might be the best yet. The presence of disgraced director Roman Polanski behind the camera on The Ghost Writer might turn you off, but do track down the old HBO movie Fatherland, which sees Rutger Hauer as a German cop investigating a murder in an alternate 1964 where the Nazis won World War II.
This is a big, meaty, compelling drama for adults, and we’re always on board for more of those. Add in a genuinely impressive cast, rapturous reviews, and what is shaping up to be decent showing come Oscar night, and it’s a lock for us.
