Despite a disappointing Oscar night for “Conclave,” Edward Berger’s commentary on existing societal dilemmas warranted far more praise from the Academy and viewers alike, for the latter lacked appreciation and the former snubbed the film of the awards it deserved.
Set in modern-day Vatican City, the film delves deep into the polarizing process through which a new pope is selected. It follows Cardinal Thomas Lawrence (Ralph Fiennes), whose duties as deanship and manager force him to head the College of Cardinals in their selection of a new pope. He’s constantly challenged both by the inherent polarization of the selection process and his own conflicting feelings towards the Catholic Church.
Arguably the most prominent characteristic of the film was its critique of societal tendencies through allusions to power, obsession, progress and sexism.
Berger’s criticism of power-hungry individuals is most evident in the characterization of the leading contenders to succeed the pope. The most popular candidate is Joshua Adeyemi (Lucian Masmati), whose conservative approach to homosexuality is overshadowed by his aspiration to become the first African pope. His closest competitor, Goffredo Tedesco (Sergio Castellitto), is an even greater conservative who plans to undo all progress made by the Catholic Church, reversing the religion to its ‘glory days’ of the 1960s. To contrast both candidates, the final serious contender, Aldo Bellini (Stanley Tucci), wants to embrace the modernity of the Catholic Church by prioritizing its drive for progress.
Perhaps the most interesting character of the three is Bellini. One of his very first pieces of dialogue show him refusing any intent to run for the papacy, despite rumors of his popularity amongst the Cardinals. As the movie progresses, he becomes obsessed with the desire of beating out his conservative archnemesis Tedesco.
Midway through the film, Bellini even reverses his previous stance, claiming that all Cardinals seek the papacy in one way or another; such a reversal suggests that power is corrupting.
Even though he began the film by deeming himself unworthy of such power, his close proximity to the papacy poisons his selfless ambitions. His strong opposition to Tedesco’s ideology also serves to conceal his own hunger for power rather than represent his moral principles.
Bellini’s character is also a reflection of society’s increasing tendency to become polarized. At one point in the movie, he claims that the only reason he is entertaining his candidacy is because he “stands for everything Tedesco does not.”
Though such a claim is untrue, it reflects his power-hungry ambitions and mimics the antagonistic nature of elections, under which candidates guise themselves as ‘the lesser of two evils.’ Over the past eight years, the Democratic party’s deviation away from real world issues has morphed its platform into one that focuses primarily on opposing Trump. Bellini’s papacy campaign mirrors such a phenomenon in that he is reduced to a mere antagonist of Tedesco’s agenda.
Berger’s commentary extends onto the role of women in society. Perhaps one of the most subtle thematic components of the film is, ironically, the negligence from the church to acknowledge women or their worth.
While the Cardinals are sequestered for three days straight, they are fed by the nuns who take charge of the cooking, cleaning and general upkeep of the church setting. For most of the movie, they are insignificant, until it’s revealed that another leading contender for the papacy, Joseph Tremblay, orchestrated a plan to bring down Adeyemi.
Both contenders eventually suffered unrepairable blows to their reputation only after the lead nun, Sister Agnes, helped Lawrence uncover their disgraceful past. The rushed nature through which the film portrayed Agnes’ influence, however, lacked the nuance that the plot line required.
What is lacking in Sister Agnes’ characterization is slightly made up for in the final scene of the movie. When two of the four leading contenders lose all their support, a new, soft-spoken Cardinal named Vincent Benitez gains popularity amongst the Cardinals. He was a Mexican archbishop representing Kabul, and his secretive promotion to archbishop undermined his legitimacy as an eligible Cardinal.
He gains popularity through his response to one of Tedesco’s hate-ridden speeches towards the end of the movie. Instead of giving into hate, Benitez suggested that the Catholic church focus on what truly defines their religion. His speech resonated so deeply with the Cardinals – it was arguably too easy – that they voted him as the new pope.
The plot twist later revealed that Benitez’s societal classification as a male was undermined by his female chromosomes; even though he was raised as a man, he still had both male and female reproductive organs.
Benitez’s character is complicated in terms of Berger’s intended message. What is clear, however, is that the Cardinals would have never voted for him had they known his secret. The presence of female reproductive organs in Benitez would have undermined his credibility as an adequate pope, extinguishing all belief from the Cardinals that he could ascend to the Papacy.
Benitez’s ascension as someone who is neither a man nor woman, but perceived by others as a man, reflects society’s unwillingness to embrace change.
No one but the main character, Lawrence, was aware of Benitez’s secret. Therefore, the only way to challenge the Church’s reluctance to acknowledge women was through the guise of a straight man who was “half” woman, for society is not ready to accept change of this magnitude.
Berger’s “Conclave” often diminishes itself under the dullness of its unappealing subject matter. However, its reflection of human imperfections, amplified by religion and power, stimulates critical conversations necessary for societal growth.
