The death of Pope Francis, 88, a humble reformer who sought to make the Catholic Church more inclusive, marks the end of an era for the Catholic Church, and sets in motion one of the most arcane, storied and secretive events in human history: the election of a new pope.
Pope Francis died Easter Monday at 88 following a lengthy bout of double pneumonia, the Vatican said. Francis was elected as the 266th pope in March 2013, and his death now prompts the centuries-old tradition of choosing his successor on May 7.
The strictly secretive voting process through which a new pope is chosen is known as papal conclave, a term after which the 2024 movie “Conclave,” Robert Harris’ 2016 book-turned-film, is named. While the book and film are set during a fictional meeting of red-cloaked cardinals who have flocked to the Eternal City to cast ballots for who will lead the world’s roughly 1.4 billion Catholics, Harris told Time in an October 2024 interview that inspiration for the book came from the real-life 2005 papal conclave, which ultimately elected Pope Benedict XVI.
Pope Francis’ death: How accurate is the movie ‘Conclave’ about the election of a new pope?
USA TODAY movie critic Brian Truitt gave the film, an Oscar contender for best picture, ★★★★ out of four stars, writing “director Edward Berger’s wowing adaptation of the 2016 Robert Harris novel is more electric than you’d ever expect a papal potboiler to be.”
“Berger improves upon his work on the Oscar-winning ‘All Quiet on the Western Front’ remake, effortlessly weaving together locked-room mystery, courtroom drama, detective tale and political thriller in one searingly tense and timely narrative,” he adds.
Here’s what to know about “Conclave,” including which streaming platform to watch the film on and cast.
‘Conclave’ movie review: You must see this white-knuckle papal thriller
What is ‘Conclave’ about?
Conclave “follows one of the world’s most secretive and ancient events – selecting the new Pope,” the film’s official synopsis reads.
After the unexpected death of the pope, Cardinal Lawrence (Ralph Fiennes) is tasked with running the covert process of choosing a new leader.
As some of the Catholic Church’s most powerful leaders gather and are locked together in the Vatican halls, “Lawrence uncovers a trail of deep secrets left in the dead Pope’s wake, secrets which could shake the foundations of the Church,” the synopsis adds.
Join our Watch Party! Sign up to receive USA TODAY’s movie and TV recommendations right in your inbox
How to watch ‘Conclave’
“Conclave” is now available to stream on Prime Video for subscribers.
‘Conclave’ on Prime Video: Subscribe
It is also available to rent or buy on-demand platforms such as Apple and Fandango.
Did ‘Conclave’ win any Oscars?
The political thriller was in the running for best picture at this year’s Oscars. While it didn’t take home that prize, it won best adapted screenplay The film was also nominated in the best original score, best production design, best costume design and best editing categories, but did not win in them.
Ralph Fiennes was also nominated as best actor for his performance in the film, while Isabella Rossellini was in running for best supporting actress. Neither of them won the trophy.
The ‘Conclave’ cast
The cast of “Conclave” includes:
-
Ralph Fiennes as Cardinal Lawrence
-
John Lithgow as Cardinal Tremblay
-
Stanley Tucci as Cardinal Bellini
-
Sergio Castellitto as Cardinal Tedesco
-
Lucian Msamati as Cardinal Adeyemi
-
Carlos Diehz as Cardinal Benitez
-
Isabella Rossellini as Sister Agnes
-
Brían F. O’Byrne as Monsignor Raymond O’Malley
-
Merab Ninidze as Cardinal Sabbadin
Watch the ‘Conclave’ trailer
This story was updated to add more information.
We occasionally recommend interesting products and services. If you make a purchase by clicking one of the links, we may earn an affiliate fee. USA TODAY Network newsrooms operate independently, and this doesn’t influence our coverage.
Contributing: Marco della Cava, USA TODAY
Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at sshafiq@gannett.com and follow her on X and Instagram @saman_shafiq7.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: ‘Conclave’: How to watch movie inspired by papal conclave
