Conclave
2024 · Directed by Edward Berger
Woke Score
CriticCritic Score
Audience
Ultra Based
Critics rated this 75 points above its woke score. Among Ultra Based films, this critic score ranks #379 of 1469.
Representation Casting
Score: 5/100
International cast members present, including Lucian Msamati and Merab Ninidze, though casting appears merit-based rather than diversity-driven. A single Black cardinal appears in minor roles.
LGBTQ+ Themes
Score: 0/100
No LGBTQ+ themes, characters, or representation present in the film.
Feminist Agenda
Score: 0/100
The film is entirely male-centered with no feminist agenda or examination of gender dynamics.
Racial Consciousness
Score: 0/100
No explicit racial consciousness or commentary on race and racism present in the narrative.
Climate Crusade
Score: 0/100
No climate-related themes or environmental messaging in the film.
Eat the Rich
Score: 0/100
The film focuses on religious and institutional politics, not economic systems or class critique.
Body Positivity
Score: 0/100
No body positivity messaging or representation present.
Neurodivergence
Score: 0/100
No neurodivergent characters or representation in the film.
Revisionist History
Score: 0/100
The film operates within established Vatican history and procedure without revisionist intent.
Lecture Energy
Score: 0/100
The film maintains dramatic tension and procedural pacing without preachy exposition or moral lecturing.
Synopsis
After the unexpected death of the Pope, Cardinal Lawrence is tasked with managing the covert and ancient ritual of electing a new one. Sequestered in the Vatican with the Catholic Church's most powerful leaders until the process is complete, Lawrence finds himself at the center of a conspiracy that could lead to its downfall.
Consciousness Assessment
Conclave arrives as a thoroughly conventional institutional thriller, distinguished primarily by its craft and ensemble cast rather than any engagement with contemporary social consciousness. Edward Berger's film concerns itself entirely with the mechanics of power succession within the Vatican, following Cardinal Lawrence as he navigates competing interests, hidden scandals, and theological posturing during a papal conclave. The film treats its subject matter with the gravitas of a John le Carré adaptation, deploying Vatican intrigue as pure procedural machinery.
The minimal cultural markers present in the film emerge almost incidentally. The cast includes several international actors, though they appear selected for their dramatic credentials rather than as a deliberate representation statement. There is a single Black cardinal in minor roles, reflecting demographic reality rather than progressive casting strategy. The film's engagement with institutional critique is entirely confined to exposing corruption and power hunger within a patriarchal religious hierarchy, a theme as old as institutional drama itself and one that carries no freight of contemporary progressive sensibility.
Conclave operates as a film fundamentally disinterested in the cultural conversations that dominate contemporary cinema. It is invested in secrets, betrayal, and the question of who will lead the Church, not in interrogating the Church's structural inequities or advancing any particular social vision. It is a film that would be nearly identical had it been made in 1994, which is precisely the source of its modest score.
Analysis generated by our Consciousness Algorithm
Critic Reviews
“A gradually swelling, deeply intellectual, and unexpectedly fun political thriller, Berger’s twisty film takes the audience behind the notoriously secretive closed doors of the Catholic Church for one of its most private processes: the election of a new pontiff.”
“Conclave is smart, provocative, sometimes funny, and determined to make us rethink our initial impressions. It challenges us to challenge ourselves and is wildly entertaining, one of the year’s standout films.”
“The thriller is both a thought-provoking investigation into real-life themes and human flaws but also an undoubtedly entertaining exercise, one where the simple act of dropping off ballots becomes a crucial aspect of a scintillating, white-knuckle affair.”
“None of it rings true; those who seek a serious dramatic inquiry into the inner workings of the church should look elsewhere.”
Consciousness Markers
International cast members present, including Lucian Msamati and Merab Ninidze, though casting appears merit-based rather than diversity-driven. A single Black cardinal appears in minor roles.
No LGBTQ+ themes, characters, or representation present in the film.
The film is entirely male-centered with no feminist agenda or examination of gender dynamics.
No explicit racial consciousness or commentary on race and racism present in the narrative.
No climate-related themes or environmental messaging in the film.
The film focuses on religious and institutional politics, not economic systems or class critique.
No body positivity messaging or representation present.
No neurodivergent characters or representation in the film.
The film operates within established Vatican history and procedure without revisionist intent.
The film maintains dramatic tension and procedural pacing without preachy exposition or moral lecturing.