Directed with precision and flair by Edward Berger (All Quiet On The Western Front) and adapted from Robert Harris’s gripping 2016 novel by Peter Straughan, Conclave is a masterful blend of mystery, political intrigue, and character drama. Anchored by a tour-de-force performance from the always brilliant Ralph Fiennes, the film takes us deep into the corridors of the Vatican, where faith and ambition collide in the wake of a papal death.

The plot centres on Cardinal Thomas Lawrence (Fiennes), a dutiful, introspective leader tasked with overseeing the election of the next pope after the sudden death of the Holy pontiff. What begins as a solemn ritual soon spirals into a taut thriller as Cardinal Lawrence uncovers secrets and scandals surrounding some of the candidates. The arrival of the enigmatic Archbishop Vincent Benitez (Carlos Diehz), who claims to have been made a cardinal of Kabul in secret, adds another layer of...