Movie Man Darian Watching All Night Long

Conclave 

This is one of the years best films that had me glued to the screen from start to finish! This film feels like a picture that could of come out in the 1970’ and has a Sidney Lumet feel to it which is a huge compliment as I consider the 1970’s the single greatest decade for film and Conclave operates like a film from that era the way the story is done and how well its paced. As Edward Berger has given a film that is full of twist and turns where you don’t know where the story will go next and is full of amazing performances from Johnny Lithgow, Stanley Tucci and Ralph Fiennes giving one of his greatest performances of his entire career. conclave is a political thriller that will have you mesmerized the whole time and wanting to revisit it multiple times due to the genius craftsmanship put into this picture. 

Firstly, The way the story unfolds is so captivating to watch as it takes on the subject of the church and the entire voting process that goes on when someone becomes the next pope after the death of one. To some the whole story may be boring but if you are like me and go in knowing very little about the subject it not only is informative but is able to teach you about the inner workings of how this goes about in a really well crafted way in terms of storytelling. The film tackles the themes of how far people are willing to go for power even if it means playing dirty and abandoning any sense of professional respect towards others. As Ralph Fiennes is the centrepiece of humanity for the film and wants people to play by the rules and to have whoever becomes appointed the next Pope to be one that deserves it and is fair on all sides and is not just thrust into power due to political or racial means as that is not the way of the church which is a theme that really is the heartbeat of the film as it is about letting the most respectful person take control of the biggest position within the Church. Their is a lot of individuals that try to sabotage  others by violent means, brining their own personal negative points into the conversation and using that to persuade others to vote for them that and even digging into other people’s past to find any trace of dirt or grey area and expose that to cause chaos within the voting body. It is shown in a way that some may deem overly political but the entire point of the film is to find a person who is fit to fill the position of the Pope that will be a person for the people that can enact change in a positive way without brining their own personal biased opinions with them when in power but instead acting with reason. Edward Berger is able to discuss that in such a way that keeps you on your toes the entire time as he also shapes it into a political thriller which perfectly fits this story it has similarities to old fashioned films of that genre such as Network, All The Presidents men, and even the 2015 film Spotlight. He takes the topic as big as the church as his canvas  and then uses the political thriller tone as his paintbrush and then it results in a nail biting film that both informs you and keeps you on edge the entire way through. There also is so much beautiful imagery captured through the setting the film centres in he is able to use the Catholic Church’s voting lifestyle and capture it in a visual way that is so stunning and striking. The film writing wise is so strong and is able to accomplish a heavy topic like the church in a way that I have not seen before all the while the film never felt boring or slow it was greatly paced and edited magnificently and the editors were able to accomplish the chaotic situation and have the editing be a reflection of it. The sheer way the story is tackled was masterful, the editing was phenomenal and the score is among some of the best of the year. From top to bottom the creatives involved in bringing this story to life was fantastic and the way they accomplish the political thriller aspect to the story was a perfect fit. The way the film shapes its narrative and tone is one of the strongest aspects of the film and I cannot stop praising its terrific ability at how it unfolds its story. 

Secondly, The performances from the whole cast is outstanding! Ralph Fiennes delivers what I think is the best performance of his career in this film! This man is one of the best to ever do it as whenever he takes on a role he gives it his absolute all. Here he tackles the role of a Cardinal in an emotional distress of how to deal with getting the next Pope worthy of the position into power. Ralph Fiennes delivers a performance of emotional sincerity and restraint as he takes so much in and he feels so much but lets very few things make show his heart as he has to have a stable mind and not let others see how truly scared he is. It is a performance that not only do I think will get award talk around it I think it can earn him that long awaited Academy Award he should have had decades ago. Then You have Stanley Tucci who plays a friend to Ralph’s character but at the same time has his own agenda of how to look at the situation in front of him as he does not want this process drawn out for weeks and weeks as it’ll make the church look undecided and create whispers and rumours among the people that the church cannot make a clear decision. He thinks logically but also has a bit of his own personal agenda at play as well of what is the best position for him to be in and where he can better benefit from he never comprises his own ethics though for political gain everything is thought through and calculated before he speaks and Tucci brings that role to the screen in a outstanding supporting turn. Lastly you have John Lithgow who plays a morally grey character as he is accused of some shady things and outright denies them when approached about the manner but once those seeds of doubt are put in the viewers mind their is no way you don’t have it in the back of your mind and are constantly now thinking is this someone that can be trusted. John Lithgow is more opinionated and comes across more blunt in conversation but not in a way that positively reflects his characteristics. He will say or do what he can to get ahead and John Lithgow brings this very complicated person to the surface in a performance that is among one of the best he has ever done. Overall everyone in this cast is brilliant but it is the three central performances at play that truly will amaze you. 

Lastly,  Conclave is one of the years best films and Edward Berger knocked this out of the park from every level of storytelling! This film shows the inner workings of how the electoral body goes about appointing a new Pope and the chaos inside that happens and the sheer political  and racial divide some do in order to complicate things to make it look better on their side. It is a film about trying to see the best in people during a moment where everyone is going after each other and pointing fingers and name calling one man at the centre of it is trying to control all this madness and be the voice of reason. The performances from the whole cast is amazing with a tour de force performance from Ralph Fiennes and truly remarkable work from Stanley Tucci and John Lithgow. Conclave is a film that talks about the sheer chaos, political and personal attacks people will make on others if it means they get into a high position of power Conclave is a masterpiece that is one of the best films I have seen all year! 

This film centres on The ripple affect of what happens after the Pope in current power passes away and the cardinals all coming together to elect the next one to be the next in line but their is a lot of shady and political moves on both sides made to create the right choice of who should be next in power. 

Rated PG :  Thematic Material and Smoking

Ralph Fiennes : Fiennes delivers one of the finest performances of his career with his work in Conclave! Now this man has had a tremendous body of work over the many years he has been an actor from Schindlers List, The English Patient to big franchise films like the Harry Potter and James Bond  universe’s and has even dabbled in psychological horror with the underrated film the Menu. He has constantly always given himself to the parts he plays fully and embraces all of those roles head on in a way that has him fully embody whatever role he plays onscreen to a incredible degree that constantly has you swept up In his performances. Now he takes on a role of a cardinal with the incredibly hard task of appointing the next Pope after his dear friend and boss passed away as the moment he passes each person in the room thinks how politically what they should do next  how to  bring this forward to the public. He is the only person to shed a tear when the Pope Is pronounced dead as no one is thinking emotionally in that room but him as their mind is only on states of power and what it will mean for their current position showing how Human and emotionally in tune he is compared to his colleges. As the plot progresses we see the sheer amount of weight he is burdened with in terms of responsibility that has been thrust on him in order to find the right person to be appointed the next for the highest position of the church. He tries to remind people that the whole definition of the church is to find someone that isn’t perfect and at times can stumble and make mistakes as that is what it is to be human now granted you can’t use the position to just strike people down due to your personal opinions. He is very emotionally restrained in this film as he is constantly observing each single conversation that others are having and also just taking in each one he is part of as a way of assessing if their the best suit for this highly respectable job. Now So many people want it but he is one of the few that dose not as he sees the sheer anxiety, stress and emotional exhaustion it takes on one’s mind and heart and he can’t imagine being in that position 24/7 day in and day out. Ralph Fiennes is able to express that amounting burden on his shoulders and sadness in his heart that beamed out of his eyes as When he is first chosen to lead the Conclave he approaches it in a respectful and serious manner as he knows the huge task that is being put on him now and the next Pope is very much in his hands. He sees how nasty and cruel these men will be to one another just to get in a high position of power and the sheer sadness that washes over him is very much on display as you can see he is feeling that he thought as men of faith and of the church they were better then this as their approach towards treating others. The more complicated and stressful things become the more he becomes distant not just towards his colleagues but to the position itself as he wants nothing to do with it once it is all over because of how incredibly exhausting it has become. Fiennes is able to bring these fragile eyes to a man that is not supposed to show any ounce of vulnerability that will make his friends and colleagues question his ability at performing this position without getting shaken by what is surrounding him. He is able to feel that sadness, frustration and at times anger In the quiet moments when he is alone and can just release himself of the all the raw feelings he has locked up inside of himself that just pours out of him once he is alone. Fiennes delivers a performance that is truly one of the finest works of his career as it is not an emotionally loud role but I would say it is among one of his finest onscreen performances due to how he was able to piece apart this man and show so many layers of who he is and the sheer emotional complications he is facing in this very stressful situation he has been put in charge of. When he speaks he never lets his own personal feelings cloud his professional decisions he does what is best for the Conclave and for the church while trying at the same time to stay true to his morals and not let people push him around just because it may get him liked by other political associates. He isn’t thinking about that for him it is always what is the right choice for the church as he wants to make sure whatever he does is what is best for the institution of the church as not only will his mind be at ease but he looks at this situation from all sides so he knows what is the best outcome during this voting process that is going on. He is not going to let people sway his opinion on the important subjects at hand and Ralph shines in this film giving an emotionally powerful performance that is tender and so greatly presented in the most subtle ways. It is among one of the best leading performances I have seen all year and truly one of the finest works of his incredible career! 

Edward Berger : Edward Berger has crafted a masterpiece of storytelling and pacing with his work on Conclave! Now this man really made a massive impression on people with his retelling of All Quiet On The Western Front which really showed his incredible ability to show his amazing talent on a big scale like Netflix. Now seeing him once again channel his great ability to draw in a crowd with his sheer genius direction and style is very much on display with his work on Conclave. Here he shows the social and political power that is at play when the voting system of electing a new Pope is put into the conversation and the sheer complicated nature of the situation that goes on. The film plays out like a political thriller from the 1970’s as I mentioned earlier and that is a huge compliment as trying to replicate that kind of pacing and style of filmmaking is so rare. Edward Berger was able to capture the sheer weight and anxiety that the main character Ralph Fiennes is going through and the sheer heartache he is facing. He lost a mentor that he is still mourning while trying to figure out the chess match of the political play at hand and it’s done in a way that keeps you on your toes the whole way through. It is a drama that then due to its incredibly smart editing and visual techniques morphed into a political thriller that has you wanting to know what’s around each corner and what is being said and whispered in every conversation  with each Cardinal  who is brewing up their next way on how to undermine the next person so they can get ahead it constantly has you thinking who will become the person to arise to the position that their all seeking to get by the final act of the film. Edward Berger captures such a striking look to the film while also educating audiences on a system very few know how it operates and shows the sheer complexity of how this goes on while also showing the backstabbing and dirty tricks people do in order to obtain power. Theirs never a moment in the film that drags or felt to long it’s perfectly paced  and if anything it left me wanting to know more as he gets amazing performances from his entire cast and has a great style to the film that grabs a hold of you and does not let go the whole way through. It’s truly one of the best directed films of the year and I cannot wait to see what he does next as his work on Conclave is phenomenal he is able to discuss  themes such as scandals, backstabbings, political corruption, racial ignorance and trying to use intonation to terrify a body of people into getting your way. It is able to tackle all these topics without it coming across preachy but at the same time it does not sugar coat it as he discuses it in a very blunt way. Overall Edward Berger did a tremendous job at bringing this story to light and having a great style that felt like a old fashioned political drama from the 1970’s all the while having very deep conversations and themes in this film that will spark conversation great direction from Edward Berger.