by Lauren Russell, Sky News
Edward Berger’s Conclave is a fictional take on the closed-door process of appointing a new pontiff, which is set to begin for real in the Vatican on 5 May. So how accurately does the Oscar-winning film depict the real process?
It is rare for art to imitate life quite so literally as Conclave does in the wake of the death of Pope Francis.
The papal drama, which is based on Robert Harris’s book of the same name and directed by Edward Berger, is a fictional take on the closed-door process of appointing a new pontiff, known as a conclave, which is set to begin for real in the Vatican on 5 May.
Cardinals from across the world – depicted in the 2024 film by stars including Ralph Fiennes, John Lithgow and Stanley Tucci – will descend on Rome, where they will be cut off from the outside world until a new pope is chosen.
As with anything given the Hollywood treatment, some elements of the film were added for dramatic effect. The biggest twists (don’t worry, you are safe from major spoilers) were read by some as anti-Catholic propaganda.
But on the whole, Conclave – which took home four BAFTA Awards, including best film, and best adapted screenplay at the Oscars – now feels bizarrely prescient, having been released months before cardinals first became concerned for Pope Francis‘s health.
And it seems viewers are lapping it up. According to Luminate, which tracks viewership of streaming content, interest spiked 283% on Monday. with 6.9 million minutes viewed.
So how accurately does it depict the highly secretive conclave process?
See also: It’s about that terrible moment when you think you’re watching a proper film then you realise it’s just woke propaganda. Nick Dixon