house of cards in the Vatican: Conclavewhich opens in theaters on Wednesday, delves under the robes of the cardinals in a game of betrayal and lies around the election of a new Pope, with an impeccable cast led by Ralph Fiennes.
Fiennes plays Cardinal Lawrence, responsible for organizing the conclave, that assembly of cardinals that elects the sovereign pontiff after the death of the Pope. A high-risk mission, in a small world of clerics where everyone knows each other and where grudges are tenacious. And the unspeakable secrets.
Especially because internal struggles are added to the political rivalries, between the defenders of a church open to the world and the guardians of the temple. Stanley Tucci and John Lithgow play two of the men competing for the papal throne, alongside a nun, played by Isabella Rosselini, an unusual woman in this ultra-patriarchal universe.
A political thriller
“No man in his right mind would want the papacy,” says at one point Cardinal Bellini (Tucci), a liberal who nevertheless wants the job in the hope of frustrating conservatives who, in his opinion, would cause regression. social of the Church. From intrigue to twist, tension increases throughout this closed session, until a totally unexpected final twist.
“I wanted to make a political thriller in the tradition of ’70s films, like The president’s men“But in a context that I had never seen before,” explained to AFP the German director Edward Berger, who surprised last year at the Oscars by winning four statuettes with his pacifist film In the West, nothing new – released directly on Netflix. in France.
This year he could be a serious candidate again with this film, especially in the best actor category, in which Ralph Fiennes, 61, was nominated twice (Schindler’s List AND The English patient) but never won.
“The Cardinals will appreciate it”
Conclave is adapted from a novel by the British Robert Harris, whose works have already been brought to the screen by Roman Polanski (The ghost writer EITHER I accuse). Filmed in highly realistic settings, including a reproduction of the Sistine Chapel where the vote took place, at the Cinecitta studios, the film also resonates with contemporary issues facing the Church.
“It seemed essential to me that everything that happens in our society be integrated, the conflicts between left and right, reform and conservatism…”, continues the director.
“Rome has been a great source of inspiration. When you live in Rome, you have your coffee in the morning and you see a nun drinking coffee in the street, two cardinals smoking in a doorway, then an archbishop walking with his briefcase to go to work , and you realize that they are simply people like you and me (…) with their ambitions, their regrets, their mistakes, their sins,” he continues.
“We spoke to many cardinals before filming and they gave us insight into the larger realities of their daily lives. They didn’t talk about the conclave, of course, because those doors are closed and they are not allowed to enter.” Talk about it, it’s a secret election.” For the rest, we had to invent.
A blasphemous movie?
For several years now, cinema has become one of the battlefields of conservative Catholics, who especially try to promote their “religious films” films. Conclavetotally unorthodox, will it raise the ire of these circles?
“Some people will think that it is a blasphemous film, that it should not have been made,” admits the filmmaker. “But I think that most Catholics, and even most cardinals, will appreciate the film because they will see that it is quite close to reality,” he adds. “Films aim to provoke debates (…) You can’t please everyone.”
Source: BFM TV
