Based on a novel, Conclave is a searing examination of the prevalent politics that transpires behind the doors of the Sistine Chapel, in terms of materialistic politics that transpires through the candidates. Here, each candidate brings along his own set of beliefs that are starting points for a discussion to transpire – Bellini is a liberal in the vein of the late Pope, Tremblay is a mainstream conservative, Tedesco is more traditional and marginal with his thoughts and Adeyami is socially conservative with his views. This is similar to the candidates that stand in the elections in our respective areas – at times, the fight between them isn’t between right and wrong, it is between the lesser wrong out of the two, as far as the voters are concerned. And therefore, it hardly comes as a surprise that each of the candidates do have an invisible power of influencing the votes of their fellow Cardinals even at the expense of exhibiting an unholy game of corruption that outlines their individual ‘campaigns’.

The drama is a slow-burn which ironically is also pulsating in many ways. The reason lies with the fact that it allows the viewers sufficient time to introspect on their perceptions about the chapel that indirectly stares at their faith right in their face. This comes on the back of a series of revelation with respect to each candidate, and their individual beliefs that trigger a motion around the democratic system of voting. Clearly, God is secondary in this setup as more folks vye for the ‘ultimate throne’. In this regard, the protagonist Lawrence remains a silent candidate in many ways, given his receding aspirations for the throne and his urge to resign from his post. Hence, you see him refuting a character for repeatedly voting for him, despite being provided with an argument that he is possibly the best candidate of the lot.

The drama can also be viewed from the gaze of shifting character dynamics that take place in the lead up to the ‘ultimate prize’. For instance, Bellini and Lawrence once close to each other, find themselves at loggerheads particularly with respect to the former who believes that his share of ‘liberal’ votes are reduced due to the presence of the latter. In fact, there is also a startling revelation that forces Lawrence to change his stance with respect to a certain candidate. Amidst all the silent chaos, you are introduced to an ‘outsider’ of sorts who is said to have attained the post of an archbishop just before the death of the Pope. This character is revealed to be an idealist who has the superpower of distinguishing between right and wrong, something that acts as a pay-off later on in the film (but with a rider).

The setting of the drama itself is a dichotomy of sorts given that you would ideally expect the least level of politics to transpire for a responsible position of power. In a way, it is a metaphor of a man-made structure of politics with a smokescreen of faith that essentially prevents the common perception of purity to see through the prevalent layer of corruption. It is reverse-engineered to make people believe that such places are holy and pious, whereas the reality solely remains that humans are impure souls sent on a journey of retrospection while often succumbing to the materialistic game of power and corruption. This is true with respect to one of the candidates who suddenly starts to impart Islamophobic statements, almost as a tit for tat reaction to a major event that transpires (without having any inkling of the source of the event or the origin of humans involved in that event). Corruption isn’t always manipulative I guess, it also stems from the different beliefs of the mind that is programmed for hatred. And hence, this plot point was important to be held up as a mirror for most things which are transpiring in this world.

Late in the day, the final twist in the drama comes in the form of a startling revelation about a candidate, that is enough to shake your religious beliefs and reduce it to rubble. Interestingly, it is Lawrence who discovers it while fighting a lone battle about his own set of beliefs all along. In other words, the conflict in itself is two-fold – it allows a better source of understanding for Lawrence while also clearing his preconceived notions about his beliefs. In the process, it also touches upon an important fact about the Chapel – it is largely patriarchal with women only being reduced to the duties of nuns, a belief that is potentially challenged through the physicalities of a candidate. It is an eye-opener for an important beliefs about religion – it is man who has created religion and not the other way around. And the boundaries of gender should not come in between your belief, given that everyone is a free-spirited child in the eyes of the supreme one. The screenplay is brilliantly penned and makes for a wonderful watch.