One of the buzziest movies of the fall movie season is about to make its debut in theaters. Conclave, which stars Ralph Fiennes as Cardinal Lawrence, a man charged with running the process that will lead to the election of a new pope following the old pope’s death. Directed by Edward Berger, who made All Quiet on the Western Front in 2022, the movie is pitched as a political thriller, and its most recent trailer suggests that it’s going to live up to that billing.
As the trailer suggests, what begins as a relatively normal election eventually devolves into an overtly political affair as revelations about the previous pope are uncovered, and multiple cardinals grapple for power. Lawrence must dig into the truth of what the previous pope was up to to understand which of the candidates to succeed him are most directly implicated. The film is based on a 2016 novel of the same name, and stars Fiennes alongside Stanley Tucci, John Lithgow, and Isabella Rossellini.
Since the movie first premiered at the Telluride Film Festival in August, Conclave has been tapped as a potentially significant player in this year’s Oscar race. Given the number of Oscar nominees among its cast, including Fiennes himself, who has never won an Oscar, the movie seems positioned to capitalize on the glory of awards season.
Of course, before it can do that, it has to actually hit theaters, which it is set to do on Oct. 25. If the movie is as warmly received with the general public as it was with festival audiences, it should have a bright future at the Oscars.
