What is Conclave about?

Based on Robert Harris' 2016 novel, Conclave is a 2024 political thriller film directed by Edward Berger and written by Peter Straughan. The cast features Ralph Fiennes, Stanley Tucci, John Lithgow, Sergio Castellitto, and Isabella Rossellini.

Conclave had its world premiere on August 30, 2024, at the 51st Telluride Film Festival. Focus Features released the film in theatres in the US on October 25, 2024, while Black Bear UK released it in the UK on November 29, 2024. The movie was well received by critics, and Fiennes' performance was particularly applauded.

Disclaimer: The article contains spoilers about Conclave (2024).

What is Conclave about?

The political thriller drama Conclave centers around Cardinal Lawrence (played by Ralph Fiennes), who is responsible for organizing the election of the deceased Pope's successor. He finds out that the previous pope had a secret about one or more of the candidates that needed to be revealed.

Conclave's plot explained in detail

The College of Cardinals, led by Dean Thomas Lawrence, assembled to choose the pope's successor after he died from a heart attack. The four front-runners are Goffredo Tedesco of Italy, a strong traditionalist; Joseph Tremblay of Canada, a moderate; Joshua Adeyemi of Nigeria, a social conservative; and Aldo Bellini of the United States, a liberal in the style of the late Pope.

While Bellini informs his supporters that his objective is to stop Tedesco from becoming Pope, Janusz Woźniak, the Prefect of the Papal Household, claims that the late Pope asked for Tremblay's resignation the night before he passed away. Tremblay denies this. Archbishop Vincent Benitez of Kabul, who was appointed cardinal in pectore by the late Pope the year before, unexpectedly shows up at Lawrence's door.

Some see Lawrence's homily, which encourages the college to welcome uncertainty, as a statement of his papal ambitions. Despite Adeyemi's modest advantage with Bellini and Lawrence splitting the liberal vote, no one manages to secure the necessary two-thirds majority after the first ballot. While gathering background information on Benitez, Lawrence's aide Raymond O'Malley discovers that the late Pope paid for his aircraft ticket to Geneva because of a postponed doctor's visit.

The college witnesses a clash between Adeyemi, the front-runner in the voting, and Sister Shanumi, a nun who was just sent from Nigeria to Vatican City, at lunch on the second day. Shanumi confesses about an extramarital affair that resulted in the birth of a son during a private conversation with Lawrence. Lawrence must keep the secret, but Adeyemi's campaign is ruined by a gossip campaign. Bellini chooses to support Tremblay grudgingly.

Collaborating with Sister Agnes, the nun in charge of the cardinals' accommodation, Lawrence learns that Tremblay set up Shanumi's shift. When questioned, Tremblay says he did so at the request of the late Pope. The late Pope's accommodation is then broken into by Lawrence, who finds documentation proving Tremblay committed simony. Bellini begs him not to disclose the documents' existence, which leads to an altercation.

After disclosing Tremblay's behavior on the third day, Lawrence makes amends with Bellini and consents to stand against Tedesco. During the sixth ballot, he casts his own ballot, but the explosion that follows throws him to the ground and destroys the Sistine Chapel.

The college finds out that a suicide bomber killed many people in the crowd when he set up his device close to the Vatican. Benitez argues that violence shouldn't be addressed with violence, whereas Tedesco advocates for a Christian conflict. Benitez is chosen as the papal name "Innocent" after the college elects him with a landslide on the seventh ballot.

At first, Lawrence is thrilled, but O'Malley takes him aside to explain Benitez's canceled doctor's visit. He approaches Benitez, who discloses that he had ovaries and a uterus from birth but was ignorant of their existence until an appendectomy. Benitez declined the laparoscopic hysterectomy appointment because he felt that God created him in his unique way. Listening to the crowd applaud Innocent's election, Lawrence walks around the Vatican grounds before going back to his bedroom and opening the window.