I'll be perfectly honest with you: I carried a uniquely Eric Eisenberg nervousness into my Toronto International Film Festival screening of director Edward Berger's Conclave earlier today. It was scheduled to begin at 11:30am, but I was already my second screening of the day, and my jetlagged brain didn't get great sleep last night. As much as I was looking forward to seeing the movie, there was a part of me that was concerned that an extended blink might turn into an accidental nap – forcing be to abandon my professional obligations, as I couldn't rightly critique a film I didn't fully experience.
As you can tell from the fact that I'm writing this reaction, it wasn't ultimately a problem, and this can't be attributed to my body finally processing the caffeine from the half-bottle of Coke Zero I had chugged before heading out of my hotel room. It's because Conclave is a riveting and outstanding drama that constantly keeps you surprised with fresh conflicts between the brilliant collection of characters – brought to life with phenomenal performances from some of the best actors in the industry today. Based on the book of the same name by author Robert Harris, the film centers on Cardinal Thomas Lawrence ( Ralph Fiennes ), who finds himself with the responsibility of conducting a papal conclave following the death of the pope.
Initially, it seems as though the sequestered election in Vatican City is a two-horse race between the well-liked and modest Cardinal Bellini ( Stan.