REVIEW. CONCLAVE: A Crisis (of Faith?) Amidst Blessings, Bombshells... and Uncertainty.

Years ago, when I was beginning to decide the topic for my doctoral dissertation in American Social History and Policy (heavy emphasis on the "policy"), I told my advisor that I really wanted to focus more on social change, rather than the creation of simple policies written amidst petty political disagreements. After many thoughtful discussions and further contemplation (at least, that's how I remember it), I opted to write about educational policy changes in Cleveland's Catholic schools after Vatican II.

What was I thinking? Political themes abounded in my research, from conservative voices fearing Pope John XXIII's democratization of the Catholic church would destroy Catholicism as we knew it, to progressive theories that the Second Vatican Council hadn't gone far enough. Ecumenism became a sort of touchstone for things like Masses celebrated in the vernacular rather than Latin. Women attending church bare-headed (no more hats or mantillas). Non-Catholics being admitted to Catholic grade schools. No more abstinence from eating meat on Fridays.

But underneath all these visible changes were more intimate disagreements between priests, women religious, bishops, lay leadership, and more. I couldn't help but be reminded of a scene from Colleen McCullough's best-selling novel, The Thorn Birds, where protagonist Fr. Ralph de Bricassart struggles with temptations of the flesh alongside a clear-eyed determination to advance in the Church's tangled hierarchy. Mary Carson, matriarch of a large sheep farm in New South Wales, Australia, lusts after the young priest, only to be rejected. Lashing out, Mary tells Ralph she'll make him suffer for her unrequited advances, saying his ambition will be his undoing: "I'll pin you to the wall on your own weakness, I'll make you sell yourself like any painted whore."

Troubling, harsh words. But, as I discovered in my research, the politics of power - who has it, who wants it and how to distribute it - revealed a powerful, if unsavory, image of Catholic decision makers in crisis: How does one reconcile the enduring tenets of faith with personal ambition, changing social mores, and a reinvention of the meaning of Catholic as "universal," inclusive, shared? What were policy makers to do?

Fallen-Catholics, now sometimes referred to as "recovering," found resolve - or disdain - in what might have been called a long overdue doctrinal transformation. Everyone from priests to poets commented on the impact of Vatican II as a change agent for modern religion. Even comedian George Carlin, himself distanced from his pre-Vatican II Catholic upbringing, queried, "What happens to the guy in hell doing time on a meat rap?"

Indeed. All jokes and references aside, the Catholic church has long been a symbol of morality, godliness, self-discipline, piety and perhaps more recently, weakness, misogyny, abuse, sin and doubt. It's the last two that dominate Thomas Cardinal Lawrence's (Ralph Fiennes) thoughts in the new movie Conclave. Lawrence (the name is anglicized from the novel's Jacopo Lomeli), Dean of the College of Cardinals, was recently unsuccessful in his request that the Pope relieve him of his duties and allow him to return to parish work. Unlike McCollough's Fr. Ralph, whose ambition is tested by his love for Mary Carson's niece Megan Cleary, Cardinal Thomas is quietly questioning whether the Church he has faithfully served is still the institution he believes in. He's not without ambition, but he's uncertain if his vocation is in sync with his moral compass.

Unfortunately, for the aptly named Thomas, the pontiff passes away suddenly from a heart attack, leaving him in charge of the Conclave of Cardinals and their election of a new pope, forcing him to suppress his own crisis of faith which nonetheless, continues to gnaw at him even as he accepts the responsibility of managing the impending pontifical election.

The novel's author, Robert Harris, recalled that, as he watched the processional that preceded the announcement of Benedict XVI's election to the papacy following the death of John Paul II in 2005, he imagined all the potential stories within each of the Conclave's papal candidates and all those connected to the Vatican: the politics, the pettiness, the personality conflicts, the backstabbing and behind-the-scenes maneuvering, the secrets revealed and the ones withheld. His story effectively balances Thomas' internal struggle against the various plot twists and turns as cardinals in contention for the papacy campaign for votes, expose their real motives, even resort to desperate means to secure victory.

Thomas is torn between duty and self-doubt, feeling unworthy of the job he knows he must do, yet fully committed to ensure that the best person is elected pontiff. The moral and ethical gravity of his situation is carefully portrayed through his furrowed brow, his softly tentative voice, his pursed lips. Fiennes' face is eloquent throughout, but the first shot of him is layered with nuance as he feels the weight of the responsibility that lies ahead: bereft and bewildered, he remains resigned to the obligation assigned his position as Dean, and resolved to secure a clear and transparent process to select a papal successor.

It's a daunting task and Berger builds this international gathering of ecclesiastical hierarchy with meticulous suspense, magnificently interspersing the arrival of the cardinals with the ritualistic preparation for their gathering. From the careful composition of each meal (including table settings), to the precise robing of the cardinals for Mass, Berger uses close-ups and longshots, similar to the cinematography in All Quiet, to convey the intimacy of detail and the expanse of the decision at hand.

Particularly effective is how the camera is frequently behind Thomas, forcing us to see the world as he does, sometimes blurry, other times, keenly sharp. No detail goes unnoticed and all contribute to the complicated narrative he is building. In one powerful moment, as another vote to elect a pope fails, we watch the room empty slowly until only one cardinal remains, the room dissolving until all the shines is the crucifix he is wearing.

Conclave is a movie of contrasts: transparency and secrets, tradition and change, certainty and doubt. Bright light streams in through the Sistine Chapel windows as the cardinals cast their votes, then cardinals retreat to their rooms where things seems less clear and private conversations are conducted in darkened hallways or on abandoned staircases illuminated from behind or not at all. There's a sense of claustrophobia that permeates the proceedings, and Berger captures all of this with carefully placed camera angles, quick editing, and spot-on pacing that creates enough suspense to keep you watching but is also efficient in developing the many complex characters and subplots.

There are no significant changes from the novel's plot, theme or outcome, only a few minor adjustments to heighten the drama and facilitate the storytelling. And what grand storytelling it is though, if you've read the novel, you might not be as stunned by the bombshell conclusion. Berger doesn't give many clues as to what will ultimately be revealed but that's not a drawback, as there are plenty of other indelicacies, including simony, that are disclosed. It's a worthy detective story, though not like 2015's Oscar-winning Best Picture, Spotlight, based on the true story of how journalists broke the story of sexual abuse in the Archdiocese of Boston.

Then there's the music. Composer Volker Bertelmann, who also collaborated with Berger on All Quiet, returns here with impressive results, combining familiar Gregorian chants with penetrating, almost operatic riffs that underscore the intensity and urgency of the film's core. It's good stuff.

And finally, there's the superb acting. If Fiennes doesn't receive a third Oscar nomination for his portrayal of the tortured Thomas, something will be awry in Hollywoodland. His previous two Academy Award nominations (Supporting Actor in1993's Schindler's List and Best Actor in 1996's The English Patient), along with a diverse and impressive filmography, have already secured a place among the finest actors of his generation. Those piercing blue eyes, which personified hatred and evil in Schindler and angry isolation in The English Patient here are filled with uncertainty and self-doubt. He is the Conclave's mirror, its heart and soul, and his ability to convey a range of emotions and internal turmoil in a single frame are simultaneously compelling and heartbreaking. You can't take your eyes off him.

In one especially evocative scene after confronting a papal candidate about past indiscretions and calling for his withdrawal from consideration, Thomas is faced with his own words, his own advice that the next pope must be a man of doubt, a man who has sinned. Challenged to consider his own hypocrisy, Thomas is frozen in thought, almost ready to exit the conversation... until his colleague begins sobbing, and Thomas instead stays and comforts him in a way that provides a stunning visual of human compassion and dignity.

The stellar supporting case includes Stanley Tucci as progressive Aldo Cardinal Bellini, a favorite among Rome's population whose denial of interest in the papacy is a thinly disguised veil for his own ambition. Tucci is a reliable actor, and his personal familiarity with Rome and the Catholic church add a layer of credibility and authenticity to his role. Scene stealer John Lithgow as Joseph Cardinal Tremblay, a mainstream conservative and the last person to see the former Pope alive, is popular among Conclave members but houses a powerful secret that may thwart his eagerness to ascend the papacy. Fiennes' scenes with both actors, one a friend and fellow liberal, the other a distant but well--positioned colleague, provide plenty of philosophical sparks and sparrings.

Rounding out the list of potential pontiffs (outside of Thomas himself) are Sergio Castellitto as Goffredo Cardinal Tedesco, the film's antagonist and resident conservative who wants to return the Church to its traditional roots, Lucian Msamati as Joshua Cardinal Adeyemi, a Nigerian candidate and early favorite whose economic progressivism appears in conflict with his social conservativism. Newcomer Carlos Diehz shines as little known archbishop Vincent Cardinal Benitez, who arrives under a shroud of mystery and becomes a pivotal player in the ecclesiastical intrigue that follows. And Isabella Rossellini, arguably underused here, as a nun with knowledge of many Vatican secrets, adds the necessary, if stereotypical, underrepresented voice of woman in the Church. Her screen time might be limited, but her presence is strong throughout.

New York Times film critic Manohla Dargis thought the movie - and its assorted assembly of papal wannabes - relied on too many shallow, metaphorical cliches rather than plunging deeper into the similarities between Thomas' personal crisis of faith and the Church's bigger institutional failings and theological hypocrisies. I disagree. While it relies on the audience having some association - personal or cultural - with the Catholic church, Conclave is, above all, a movie for adults, one which uses on intelligent dialogue, individual reflection, and climactic ambiguity to tell a story that resonates on levels small and intimate, as well as broad and universal. Even if Thomas' belief that "without doubt, there is no faith; without sin, there is no forgiveness" sounds simplistic, his words belie a more profound, complicated notion about uncertainty and its value in a world that too often looks for quick responses and glib solutions to issues that demand more thought and sophistication.

So put on your big person clothes and head out to a theater if you can because, in spite of this somewhat lengthy treatise of Conclave's merits, I have cleverly avoided giving much of the plot away, except I'll spill that there are no car chases, no frontal nudity, no superheroes, and no graphic violence. But I haven't even begun to analyze the significance of the bombshell that arrives late in the movie. You'll have to experience that on your own. If you think George Carlin's rant about "mackerel snappers" and meat raps is controversial, wait 'til you see what Harris/Berger culminate with when a pope is finally elected... or is he?

Conclave is currently only playing in movie theaters but should be available to stream in the coming months.