This year’s Vancouver International Film Festival ran from September 26th to October 6th, and many Cascadia Film & Television Critics Association members were in attendance. We decided to put together a top ten list to celebrate the festival and all the great films we saw. I had the privilege of writing the blurb for what became our number 2 pick: Edward Berger’s Conclave.
For all its aura of holiness, the Catholic Church is made up of the same thing that every other political body is made up of: people. Conclave -named for the ceremony in which the cardinals of the church elect a new pope after the incumbent dies- is an examination of the people at the highest levels of this institution. Each of the men clad in ceremonial robes of charity, and each in their own way vying for control of one of the most powerful organisations on the planet. At the centre of the story are three tremendous performances: Isabella Rossellini as the nun who looks after the men, John Lithgow as a shrewd political operator looking to win, and Ralph Fiennes -in career best form- as perhaps the only moral man among them tasked with managing the process. It’s a study in character and faith, where we draw moral lines and why, and a showcase for some of the best actors working today.
Link: https://www.cascadiacritics.com/2024/10/cascadia-critics-top-10-picks-from-viff/