Conclave

Conclave is a 2024 political thriller directed by Edward Berger — whose previous film, All Quiet on the Western Front, won the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film — and adapted from Robert Harris's bestselling 2016 novel. The film is set in the days following the sudden, unexpected death of a sitting Pope, as the College of Cardinals is sealed inside the Vatican to elect his successor in absolute secrecy. What unfolds is a story of hidden ambition, institutional power, and buried secrets that turns the ancient ritual of papal election into a taut, suspenseful exercise in moral drama.

The film stars Ralph Fiennes as Cardinal Lawrence, the Dean of the College of Cardinals responsible for managing the conclave's integrity, who finds himself drawn into an escalating conspiracy as surprising candidates emerge and long-buried truths surface. The ensemble includes Stanley Tucci as the reform-minded Cardinal Bellini, John Lithgow as the politically calculating Cardinal Tremblay, Sergio Castellitto as the ultra-conservative Cardinal Tedesco, and Isabella Rossellini in a pivotal supporting role. Peter Straughan adapted Harris's novel with a screenplay that preserved the book's propulsive pacing while deepening its character work.

Conclave was among the most acclaimed and commercially successful prestige releases of 2024, earning the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay at the 2025 Oscars. The film grossed over $100 million worldwide against a modest budget, and Berger's direction was praised for bringing the intellectual precision of a chess match to the emotional stakes of a political thriller. Critics celebrated the film's craftsmanship — its cinematography, score, and performances — as a masterclass in classical filmmaking applied to a genuinely contemporary story.