The pope is dead, and the responsibility of overseeing the installment of a new pontiff on the vacant Vatican throne falls on Cardinal Lawrence (Ralph Fiennes), the Dean of the College of Cardinals. As both a close friend to the previous Holy Father and a man grappling with his own crisis of faith, this task weighs heavily on Cardinal Lawrence’s soul. Before the late pope’s body is fastened in a white body bag and wheeled out of his chamber by orange-jumpsuited paramedics, multiple eminences are already positioning themselves as the new Vicar of Christ, including the staunchly conservative Cardinal Tedesco (Sergio Castellitto), the humble yet shrewd liberal Cardinal Bellini (Stanley Tucci), and the cold, calculating Cardinal Tremblay (John Lithgow). Ladies and gentlemen, we have ourselves a conclave.

In its simplest definition, a conclave is a private meeting, and with this list of attendees, who could turn down the invitation? In the context of the Roman Catholic Church, however, a conclave is an assembly of cardinals for the explicit purpose of electing a new pope. As holy emissaries flock to the Vatican to choose a new leader, a new contender emerges from the pack: Cardinal Adeyemi (Lucian Msamati), who will become the first Black pope if he secures the papacy. A surprise guest, Cardinal Benitez (first-time actor Carlos Diehz), appointed to the cardinalate in one of the previous pope’s final acts, initiates an investigation into the deceased pope’s proceedings, unearthing shocking secrets.

Benitez, a Latino claiming to oversee the ministry in Kabul, immediately throws his support behind Cardinal Lawrence, despite Lawrence’s insistence that he has no interest in the papal seat. As Lawrence’s investigation uncovers the previous pope’s attempt to dismiss one of the men currently vying for the position, a nun (Isabella Rossellini’s Sister Agnes), fed up with the male-dominated power structures she’s spent her whole life serving, becomes an invaluable piece of the puzzle.

In his follow-up to his award-winning remake of “All Quiet on the Western Front,” director Edward Berger crafts a film that initially presents itself as a tense psychological thriller but quickly reveals its true nature as a deeply silly satire of the electoral process. Based on Robert Harris’s 2016 novel of the same name, “Conclave” is being smartly positioned by Focus Features, arriving in theaters the weekend before this year’s presidential election. With an Agatha Christie-esque labyrinthine plot, European director Berger gleefully pokes fun at political processes, both abroad and at home. Berger’s critique isn’t subtle, with characters sardonically questioning whether the position of Secretary of State was offered in exchange for shifting allegiances or lamenting the need to choose between objectively terrible candidates—highlighting Berger’s satirical aims.

Ralph Fiennes and Stanley Tucci in 'Conclave' Focus Features via MovieStillsDB

Berger also finds humor in contrasting the archaic structures of the Church with modern life. For instance, despite the ultra-conservative Cardinal Tedesco’s desire to restore the Church’s ancient practices, he’s the only cardinal who gets his nicotine fix via a crackling e-cig, while the others puff on the acoustic cancer sticks of old—a small but amusing contradiction. Once again, Berger employs an intense and overbearing score from German composer Volker Bertelmann to emphasize the film’s tonal contradictions. While Bertelmann’s work on “All Quiet on the Western Front”—for which he won the Academy Award for Best Original Score, robbing Justin Hurwitz of a deserved second win—was grating and distracting, here his score elicits cheers and chuckles as it inexplicably revs into high gear.

Through all its outrageous twists and turns, “Conclave” is anchored by a cast of veteran character actors uniquely capable of making the silly sublime. Fiennes, Lithgow, and Tucci all deliver their lines with dry wit and a wink to the audience, yet the comedy never undermines the drama. Fiennes, in particular, makes the most of a few bewildered close-ups as his character grapples with certain zany developments. Meanwhile, the deadly serious Rossellini will have you rolling in the aisles with a simple curtsy.

The kind of gamesmanship on display in “Conclave” has fueled the best television of the last decade. This papal political thriller is cut from the same cloth as “Game of Thrones,” “House of Cards,” and “Succession.” However, its condensed two-hour narrative means the twists, turns, backstabs, and betrayals come at a much faster pace. As the sins of these supposedly holy men come to light, tensions rise, candidates fall, and absurdities multiply in a film that zips by in a delirious wave of delight. Whenever the cynical corporate glad-handing of big-budget genre fare is criticized, cinephiles are often accused of “hating fun.” I’ll simply point to “Conclave” as an example of what a truly “fun” movie looks like.

While not as serious as its marketing materials suggest, Berger’s latest film is not without substance. The clash between tradition and modernity is engaging, and an impassioned plea to loosen the grip of certainty rises to the surface. As Cardinal Lawrence says in the film—an excerpt lifted directly from the book— “Certainty is the great enemy of unity. Certainty is the deadly enemy of tolerance. Even Christ was not certain at the end.” As we march toward the inevitable turmoil of election season, Cardinal Lawrence’s words carry added weight. “If there was only certainty, and if there was no doubt, there would be no mystery, and therefore no need for faith”—something worth keeping in mind.

"Conclave" opens in limited release on November 1, 2024, before expanding to a wide release the following week.