The angles of long corridors and crosses intersect in Conclave, a captivating inversion of a whodunnit? With the pope deceased: whowillwinit?

It’s a heady place for a movie. The Vatican is caught in a crisis tightly controlled by process and ritual, while the world outside suffers escalating, if unnamed, ideological and national turmoil. It’s no surprise that director Edward Berger and writer Peter Straughan drew out the political thrills from Robert Harris’s 2016 novel, but did they have to make it look so effortless?

The Dean of the College of Cardinals, Thomas Lawrence (Ralph Fiennes), is tasked with convening the conclave after the Pope’s sudden death. With the front-runners ranging from progressive (Stanley Tucci) to social conservative (Lucian Msamati), moderate (John Lithgow) and traditionalists (Sergio Castellitto), the result is far from clear. And that’s before Lawrence uncovers a series of plots, cover-ups and mysteries that knock the leading candidates out one by one. 

As the reputational bloodbath unfurls in the locked-down Conclave, the worsening political situation in the world outside makes its presence felt. The pressure on the Dean, who’s battled a recent crisis of faith, only increases with the late arrival of a mysterious and hitherto unknown cardinal (Carlos Diehz ) who’s practised in some of the world’s worst war zones.

Berger has a tremendous amount of fun in the Papal sandbox, with costumes, ritual, process and pomp conjuring up stunning moments of choreography, intimacy, and under the towering ceilings of Michelangelo’s interpretative creations, claustrophobia. 

Fiennes’ Lawrence is a brilliant creation. The skilled but reluctant manager; the man of peace thrown into a warzone; the priest struggling with his faith. But none of it is overblown. This is a man caught in centuries of ritual, where only the lightest ripple sets off a wave. As he moves from red robe to red robe, unable to do anything without upsetting or disappointing one side or the other, it’s fascinating to watch new allies emerge. 

One source of support is the sisters who swarm silently among the Papal election, catering and making house. Exploited in nefarious plots, they’re not without a sting of their own when deemed necessary by Isabella Rossellini’s indomitable Sister Agnes. Conclave could be where Rossellini reaches Dame Judi Dench levels of supporting actress: devouring her minimal dialogue and changing the course of the film in a few scenes.

After the majority of the runtime is packed with misdirection and heated intrigue, the conclusion can’t help but appear a little too neat. Some viewers may find ‘too neat’ sums up the treatment of the Catholic Church all the way through, but it does build to an ending that unifies its deepest themes.

Fiennes emerges from the process battered and bruised as the outside world makes its presence explosively felt, ultimately breaking the ideological deadlock. But after the devastation, Berger conjures up some fine ambiguity at the film’s close with simple movements: as Lawrence opens a window, a door closes. 

Following his Awards breakout with All Quiet on the Western Front, Berger once again shows he’s a master of pulling action from stagnant forces and challenging preconceptions.