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Conclave Surges After Pope’s Death: An Accurate Portrayal?
Published On: April 23, 2025.
The Catholic world is in mourning after the death of Pope Francis at age 88, and a critically acclaimed film is gaining buzz all over the world. Conclave, a 2024 political thriller about cardinals gathering to elect a new pope, is seeing a huge spike in streaming views in the days following the pontiff’s passing. The Oscar-nominated film – starring Ralph Fiennes, John Lithgow, Stanley Tucci, and Isabella Rossellini – offers a gripping peek behind the Vatican’s closed doors. Now, life is imitating art as the real College of Cardinals prepares for an actual conclave, and curious viewers are turning to Conclave to understand this secretive process.
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Inside Conclave: A Vatican Whodunit Meets History
For those who haven’t seen it yet, Conclave centers on the secretive voting ritual that happens after a pope dies. The plot kicks off with the fictional Pope (in the film) dying unexpectedly, and cardinals from around the globe assembling in Rome to elect his successor.
Ralph Fiennes plays Cardinal Thomas Lawrence, the Dean of the College of Cardinals, who presides over the conclave. As the cardinals sequester themselves in the Sistine Chapel to vote, the film layers on intrigue: factions form, scandals loom, and Lawrence uncovers explosive secrets about the leading candidates. It’s part suspense thriller, part chamber drama, set against the ornate backdrop of Vatican City. Conclave doesn’t shy away from the political maneuvering, either. The movie imagines clear factions among the cardinals: a reformist liberal bloc versus traditional conservatives, with various power brokers angling behind the scenes.
Crucially, Conclave is based on a novel by Robert Harris, and the filmmakers strove to get the details right. Director Edward Berger and screenwriter Peter Straughan have talked about their meticulous research process. They couldn’t film inside the actual Vatican, so they did the next best thing: interviewed numerous cardinals for insight, toured Vatican grounds, and then recreated locations like the Sistine Chapel on a studio lot. They even consulted clergy about obscure traditions – for example, what happens to the Pope’s Ring of the Fisherman after death (it’s ceremonially smashed, a detail shown in the film). All this homework paid off in giving Conclave an authentic atmosphere. As Catholic historian Kathleen Sprows Cummings noted, “They got a lot of the details right… The movie did a really good job of balancing the human – people, men who are ambitious – and the Holy Spirit” in the process. In other words, it captures both the earthly politicking and the spiritual weight of a conclave.
Streaming Surge After Pope’s Death
It’s no coincidence that Conclave has suddenly shot up in popularity. The day after Pope Francis died, Conclave made its debut on Amazon’s Prime Video streaming service – almost as if timed for the moment. Previously, the movie had been available only by rental or on Peacock, but as of April 22, it’s now included for Prime subscribers. The result? A Conclave craze. Amazon’s trending charts showed the film racing into the Top 10 in multiple countries; in fact, it hit #2 on Prime Video’s worldwide movie rankings on release day, second only to a big-budget action flick. In heavily Catholic countries like Argentina and Brazil, Conclave even grabbed the #1 spot among streaming films. The film grossed $116 million worldwide with a production budget of $20 million. It garnered 8 Academy Award nominations (including Best Picture); and won Best Adapted Screenplay.
What Conclave Gets Right About Electing a Pope
Religious commentators and Vatican experts largely agree: Conclave nails many of the essentials of a papal election. Rev. Thomas Reese, a longtime Vatican analyst, was pleasantly surprised by the accuracy. “The voting procedure was done very well,” he noted, pointing out that even the special urn and paper ballots in the movie are perfect replicas of the real ones used in the Sistine Chapel. Indeed, the film shows cardinals each writing a name, folding their ballot, and placing it in a golden urn – just as it happens in reality. The subsequent burning of ballots (to produce the black or white smoke) is also depicted correctly.
Reese, who has written books on the Vatican, confirmed that Conclave accurately portrays the cardinals being locked away with no outside contact until a two-thirds majority vote elects the new pope. That secrecy and isolation – known as “conclave” from the Latin cum clave (“with a key”) – is very much real. The filmmakers had religious advisors on set to ensure archaic procedures were portrayed correctly. One advisor even helped choreograph the destruction of the late Pope’s ring, an old tradition rarely seen by outsiders.
Perhaps more importantly, Conclave captures the human dynamics of a papal election in a credible way. The movie shows informal conversations among cardinals over meals and in private apartments before they begin voting. In real life, these behind-the-scenes talks (called “general congregations”) absolutely happen – elder cardinals and power brokers will gather for dinners and discussions in Rome as they feel out who has support.
Where to Watch Conclave Now
If you’re now itching to watch (or re-watch) Conclave amid all this real-world papal drama, here’s how you can tune in:
- Amazon Prime Video: The film is available to stream for Prime subscribers as of April 22, 2025. (It’s included free with your Prime membership.)
- Digital Rental/Purchase: For non-Prime members or those who prefer other platforms, Conclave can be rented or bought digitally on services like Apple TV, Google Play, Vudu, and YouTube Movies. It’s typically around $5.99 to rent and $14.99 to purchase in HD