Ralph Fiennes in Edward Berger’s drama Tense Pope

Director Edward Berger, who made one of the best films of 2022 with a live adaptation of All quiet on the western frontshifts gears satisfyingly on a film set almost entirely in the Vatican. Conclaveadapted from the popular novel by Robert Harris, it demonstrates Berger’s versatility and also offers one of the best roles of his career to Ralph Fiennes, who is supported by an expert ensemble.

The recent Oscar-nominated film The Two Popes also took us inside the Vatican to examine the true story of the rise of Pope Francis (played by Jonathan Pryce). This was essentially a docudrama, while this film is pure fictional speculation about the behind-the-scenes machinations involved in electing a new pope after the death of the previous pontiff. Fiennes plays the dean of the College of Cardinals, who is tasked with overseeing the election.

Screenwriter Peter Straughan (Tinker Tailor Spy Soldier) keeps the story moving quickly. A collection of interesting characters support Fiennes’ Cardinal Lawrence. He feels a strong bond with an American cardinal, played charmingly by Stanley Tucci. Both men are suspicious of the Canadian cardinal played by John Lithgow, who is feverishly campaigning to become the next pope, but who seems motivated more by personal ambition than any humanitarian or spiritual impulse.

A surprising candidate is a cardinal from Nigeria, played by Lucian Msamati, and many in the Vatican see possibilities in the election of the first African pope. But there are other, more conservative cardinals, like the Italian competitor, played by Sergio Castellito, who would do almost anything to prevent this upstart from dismantling the European hierarchy.

And then there’s a mysterious newcomer from Kabul, played by Carlos Diehz. None of the cardinals even knew of the existence of this priest, who was apparently invited to Rome by the former pope before his death. And many of them fear a Catholic priest from a predominantly Muslim part of the world. Old prejudices die hard.

As the power play becomes more intense, a nun played by Isabella Rossellini proves to have an important role in challenging the male hierarchy of the Catholic Church. The film raises current issues of sexism and racism within organized religion, while acknowledging the sex scandals that have rocked the Church in recent years.

Fiennes gives a superb performance as a man who begins to have doubts about his faith as a result of all these scandals, and when he emerges as a leading candidate to be named pope, his crisis of conscience intensifies. We can see that he may be the most qualified candidate, partly as a result of these well-articulated doubts, but he may not have the stomach for the job.

Berger does a good job of controlling all these performances and also creates a rich atmosphere for the production. The Sistine Chapel and other parts of the Vatican were recreated at Cinecitta Studios, brought to life by cinematographer Stephane Fontaine and production designer Suzie Davies. Although the elegant and cloistered world of the Vatican is invitingly captured, a more violent world enters when a terrorist bombing in Rome gets too close for comfort. Editor Nick Emerson keeps the action rolling. Composer Volker Bertelmann, who won an Oscar for his score for All quiet on the western fronthe demonstrates his expertise as well as versatility with his work here.

Even viewers who might guess the identity of the next pope will be surprised by the final twist, which is very much in keeping with the film’s ambition to bring the certainties of the past into an unpredictable, dizzying, but essential new future.