Conclave review

‘Conclave’ was an amazing watch. Mostly, because it gave the audience an insight into an incredibly private, scared process which almost made the audience intruders in this story. Additionally, I like the fact that it didn’t follow Propp’s stereotypical character roles with a ‘Hero’ and a ‘Villain’ setting up a simple binary, rather it was much more complex watching the main character, Cardinal Lawrence, root out corruption in the Church from conspiring groups of people instead of making it a cliché ‘Bad vs Good’. Not only did the picturesque backdrop of the Vatican and Sistine chapel make the cinematography naturally phenomenal, but combined with the various shots: the birds-eye view, long shots and close ups, they were able to enhance the audiences visual experience by amplifying the numinous quality of the setting. The costumes were remarkable, especially the detailing of the stitching and embroidery almost making a tapestry. Despite its beauty, the clothing was a way of reinforcing the hierarchy in the church indicating the importance (or unimportance) of each Cardinals position. As well as the colours, when congregating to vote they all wore a scarlet red cape - symbolising blood - and white rochet - symbolising holy purity - to represent the conclave to be uniform and equal but in other scenes we see Cardinal Lawrence wearing much more extravagant garments in a royal purple to highlight his authorial role and power. 

However, the film definitely offered more entertainment than accuracy but that made it a thrilling watch nonetheless. Finally, I loved how the fictional appointment of Cardinal Vincent as Pope, despite genetic differences, poses the question of what the real Catholic Church can do to reject more outdated, conservative traditions and cater to all in the future.