Conclave Review: One Of The Best Films Of 2024 Also Has One Of The Best Twist Endings Of 2024
Film

Conclave Review: One Of The Best Films Of 2024 Also Has One Of The Best Twist Endings Of 2024


[NOTE: This review is partially adapted from my reaction to Conclave following its premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival]

Arriving just in time for award’s season, Edward Berger’s Conclave can be likened to a wolf in sheep’s clothing. With its bevvy of respected and acclaimed stars and story centering on the Catholic Church, you may get the impression at a quick glance that it’s a stuffy, dry drama, but that would be a major misconception; this is a riveting, gorgeous political thriller with razor sharp teeth. As someone whose knowledge about papal elections extends to knowing the differences between the black smoke and the white smoke, I hung on every delicious revelation and twist during my screening, and my face of awe and surprise morphed into an ear-to-ear grin witnessing what is unquestionably one of the best endings in 2024 cinema.

Conclave

(Image credit: Focus Features)

Release Date: October 25, 2024
Directed By: Edward Berger
Written By: Peter Straughan
Starring: Ralph Fiennes, Stanley Tucci, John Lithgow, Sergio Castellitto, and Isabella Rossellini
Rating: Rated PG for thematic material and smoking
Runtime: 120 minutes



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