Conclave

In the separate realm of fiction, my feeling is that a palace intrigue is dramatically most effective when the palace is rotting from the inside -- and that Conclave in particular would have gained from a pinch more cynicism.

What unfolds as the cardinals go to war with each other… is as tantalising as a murder mystery. The candidates become suspects, leaks happen, and questions arise about who is telling the truth.

Conclave does not deserve its drama queen reputation.

... Not just dramatically satisfying, but philosophically satisfying.

It’s all competently performed and executed, with loud booms of sound cued to each scene change as an attempt to ramp up the tension, and lots of behind-the-head tracking shots of cardinals anxiously pacing through corridors and stairways.

The tone is wry, the plot sturdy, the main course a thick porterhouse slab of grass-fed, richly marbled acting, delivered to your seat.

This is a handsomely staged film, peppered with fascinating ritual and detail, populated by a world-class cast, and focused almost entirely on human interaction and moral drama. It is truly sensational stuff.

The film highlights the contradictions between what is preached and what happens: while advocating for the equality of all, the institution is immersed in hierarchies, and strict codes that even its own members fail to uphold. [Full review in Spanish]

A riveting psychological thriller with an absurd final twist, the film depicts Cardinals as self-serving, power-hungry politicians who spend their limited time together attempting to convince one another that they are the lesser of two evils.

This one is highly burnished and tightly wound, seemingly made by Fiennes and not the director.