- Pope Francis, who led the Catholic Church towards greater inclusivity, has died at age 88.
- The film “Conclave,” inspired by the 2005 papal conclave, follows the fictional selection of a new pope.
- The movie “Conclave” won the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay and was nominated for Best Picture.
The death of Pope Francis, 88, who sought to make the Catholic Church more inclusive, marks the end of an era for the Catholic Church, and sets in motion one of the most arcane, storied and secretive processes: the election of a new pope.
Pope Francis died Easter Monday following a lengthy bout of double pneumonia, the Vatican said. Francis was elected as the 266th pope in March 2013, and now cardinals from around the world will descend on Rome for his funeral on April 26 and to select his successor.
The secretive voting process through which a new pope is chosen is known as papal conclave, a term after which Robert Harris’ 2016 book-turned-movie is named.
While the book and film are set during a fictional meeting of red-cloaked cardinals in the Eternal City to cast ballots for who will lead the world’s roughly 1.4 billion Catholics, Harris told Time in an October 2024 interview that inspiration for the book came from the real-life 2005 papal conclave that ultimately elected Pope Benedict XVI, Francis’ predecessor.
Here’s what to know about “Conclave,” including which streaming platform to watch the film on and cast.
What is ‘Conclave’ about?
Conclave “follows one of the world’s most secretive and ancient events — selecting the new Pope,” the film’s official synopsis reads.
When Cardinal Lawrence is tasked with leading one of the world’s most secretive and ancient events, selecting a new Pope, he finds himself at the center of a web of conspiracies and intrigue that could shake the very foundation of the Catholic Church, the IMDB website says.
Is ‘Conclave’ a good movie?
USA TODAY movie critic Brian Truitt gave the film, an Oscar contender for Best Picture, ★★★★ out of four stars, writing “director Edward Berger’s wowing adaptation of the 2016 Robert Harris novel is more electric than you’d ever expect a papal potboiler to be.”
“Berger improves upon his work on the Oscar-winning ‘All Quiet on the Western Front’ remake, effortlessly weaving together locked-room mystery, courtroom drama, detective tale and political thriller in one searingly tense and timely narrative,” he added.
How to watch ‘Conclave’
“Conclave” is only available to buy and rent on on-demand platforms such as Apple, Amazon Prime Video and Fandango.
The film is available for Amazon Prime subscribers, or to rent or buy on the website.
The film was released in theaters in the U.S. on Oct. 25, 2024.
Did ‘Conclave’ win any Oscars?
Yes, the political thriller won best adapted screenplay.
The movie also was in the running for best picture at this year’s Oscars, and was nominated in the best original score, best production design, best costume design and best editing categories, but did not win in them.
Actor Ralph Fiennes was nominated as best actor for his performance in the film, while Isabella Rossellini was in running for best supporting actress. Neither won the trophy.
‘Conclave’ cast
The cast of “Conclave” includes:
- Ralph Fiennes as Cardinal Lawrence
- John Lithgow as Cardinal Tremblay
- Stanley Tucci as Cardinal Bellini
- Sergio Castellitto as Cardinal Tedesco
- Lucian Msamati as Cardinal Adeyemi
- Carlos Diehz as Cardinal Benitez
- Isabella Rossellini as Sister Agnes
- Brían F. O’Byrne
- as Monsignor Raymond O’Malley
- Merab Ninidze as Cardinal Sabbadin
