early in the movie conclaveFollowing the death of the Pope, cardinals from all over the world flock to the Vatican. They put on their red robes and go to the guest rooms. A montage shows them rolling their suitcases around cave entrances, taking smoke breaks and checking their iPhones. By the time they finish settling in, cigarette butts cover the marble floor.

These images are remarkable. Here, the seemingly most virtuous men in the world not only act like normal people, but also litter the headquarters of their faith. How disgusting! What blasphemy!

And how juicy it is. Adapted from Robert Harris’ 2016 novel, conclavein cinemas now, Following the titular process of electing a new pope, this undercover mission suggests the film is mostly a popularity contest filled with gossip and backstabbing. Trapped in a vortex of egos, Cardinal Lawrence (played by a sharp Ralph Fiennes) is an Englishman who recently tried to resign his position due to his growing doubts about his beliefs, but was appointed by the late pope to lead the conclave. Anyway. He and his fellow cardinals must spend days, if not weeks, voting on who among them will take over, and continue voting until they reach a two-thirds majority. Determined to fight a fair fight, Lawrence steps into the role of peacemaker and detective as scandals emerge, but his ongoing crisis of faith turns into a crisis of confidence.

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conclave This is certainly not the first project to use the Vatican City as a paradoxical backdrop. 2017 HBO drama Young Pope (renamed new pope (in its second season) depicts worship as an absurd and often surreal exercise, while the 2019 film Two Popes He turned the transfer of papal power into a buddy comedy. However conclave It feels particularly timely. Screenwriter Peter Straughan and director Edward Berger (previous film All Quiet on the Western Front(which earned a Best Picture Oscar nomination) have constructed a propulsive psychological thriller that doubles as an obvious election-year allegory. Despite the heavy subject matter, the result is quite entertaining; Without underestimating the importance of the Papacy or abandoning the novel’s attention to detail, conclave He exposes the sometimes ludicrous nature of corporate practices by examining the fallibility of those who run them. Even the most honest among us are only human, conclave attracts attention. In some ways, it’s comforting to think that the oldest rituals are just works in progress.

Consider some of the personalities that Lawrence, himself terrified of what being pope would entail, has to deal with: the arrogant Canadian Cardinal Tremblay (John Lithgow), who salivates at the chance to lead the church; Cardinal Adeyemi (Lucian Msamati), an overconfident Nigerian candidate with a devoted flock; Cardinal Bellini (Stanley Tucci), a progressive American who says he does not want the papacy but is annoyed by the competition; and Italian Cardinal Tedesco (Sergio Catellitto), who is both bigoted and opinionated. conclave features a cast of scenery-chewing character actors whose routines, such as repeatedly voting by scribbling each other’s names on scraps of paper, make it both strangely serious and implausible. These are adult men tasked with filling a position that nearly 1.4 billion people care about, but they are also just men.

But most of the fun conclave This comes from the fact that the film appeared as a ridiculous prestige project when it was first released. The production team recreated the Sistine Chapel. some tweaks Including the exact shade of red the Cardinals wear to heighten the tension. Berger orchestrates whispered conversations in shadowy corridors, uses slow-motion sequences backed by operatic scores, and creates striking tableaux of cardinals warily gazing at each other; these elements are then paired with deliberately raw, self-aware dialogue. Cardinals follow etiquette and have thoughtful discussions about who deserves the papacy, but they are most excited when they gossip. They come together in cliques to complain about their rivals and accuse each other of various indiscretions. Sister Agnes (Isabella Rossellini), one of many nuns working behind the scenes to care for the electors, has a monologue exposing the sins of a cardinal that drew gasps and applause at the screening I attended. Even Lawrence, the most stable person, gets lost in the melodrama. “I feel like I’m at an American political convention,” he laments when dragged to another sidebar to discuss another rumor. Of course, he still participates; Rumors are hard to resist.

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Lawrence also begins to find Church’s newly vacant position attractive. In your best moments, conclave It uses its hero to explore the truly great stakes of the choice, as well as its sillier diversions. As the conclave continues and he receives more votes than his colleagues, Lawrence begins to rethink his attitude towards the papacy. In a later scene, Bellini observes that every cardinal secretly has a papal name in mind. Lawrence looks torn, as if he’s afraid to admit this truth to himself. Amid the more hokey material, his inner conflict raises serious questions about the nature of spiritual commitment: Do Lawrence’s personal beliefs matter when it comes to corporate worship? Does competing against Bellini, who has a friend, mean giving up his own values? Is progress possible in such a rigid institution?

As with other recent papacy-centered projects, the film leaves these questions unanswered and never deeply interrogates the church’s biggest ongoing scandals. clergy sexual abuse. conclave it also adds too many contrived twists in the quest for narrative drama, but the film moves nimbly enough to avoid a collapse into pure fantasy. Revealing religiosity as a façade may resonate best with audiences outside the Vatican, but I suspect some insiders will admit to having the same thoughts.