5 Movies like Conclave you should watch next

Intro: How does the most secretive election proceed? When the College of Cardinals selects a new pope, will the traditionalists of the world's oldest religious institution be threatened? In this gripping papacy thriller, director Edward Berger showcases the drama behind the sacred events. Conclave opens with the death of the Pope, and follows the papal conclave, where Cardinal Lawrence takes charge of this tense papal election.

Based on Robert Harris's 2016 novel, Conclave explores the power dynamics and political maneuvering among the Cardinals. It also touches upon the concept of faith versus institutional duty through the character of Cardinal Lawrence. In one of the pivotal scenes, the revelations by Archbishop Vincent Benitez raise a broader discussion on the evolving nature of identity among the religious institutions.

Ralph Fiennes and Brían F. O'Byrne in Conclave (2024). Source: IMDb

Plot: The fictional Dean of the College of Cardinals, Thomas Lawrence, must seek a morally righteous pontiff amid the smear campaign and backstabbing. What spiraled in the campaign was tension among the cardinals, who had differing views on the church's future. Four front-runners are presented who will lead the world's roughly 1.4 billion Catholics.

Cardinal Aldo Bellini, the preferred candidate, is a liberal and forward-thinking figure on one side. Meanwhile, the other side is ideologically divided, including Cardinal Tedesco, Cardinal Adeyemi, and ambitious Cardinal Tremblay, who intends to become the pope. However, the arrival of Cardinal Benitez changes everything, and his poignant speech shifts the tide towards him. The movie ends on a hopeful note, but the looming secret will challenge the traditional ideologies.

Summary: Director Edward Berger revealed he was "inspired" by the Casa Santa Marta, where cardinals live during the conclave, but they made deliberate changes to make it more cinematic. Most scenes were shot in the suburbs of Rome, the city’s business district, against Renaissance paintings and sculptures and weathered stones from an earlier era. The Conclave ultimately secured a BAFTA for Best Film and the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay.

Ralph Fiennes as Cardinal Lawrence delivered a cracking performance, and the movie boasts stunning visuals and music. Composer Volker Bertelmann echoes a music style attributed to Renaissance and Baroque architecture, made possible by the sounds of a Cristal Baschet. Production design by Christoph Kanter elevates the claustrophobic, spiritual, and politically charged atmosphere.

Movies like the Conclave on Vatican power and faith

Ralph Fiennes and Stanley Tucci in Conclave (2024). Source: IMDb

Ever since the Vatican has existed, exploring the secretive tradition of the Pope has always been fascinating and divine. Moreover, the assembly of Catholic Cardinals has sparked endless curiosity for centuries. The following movie list echoes, 'The church is not about tradition or the past, but what we do next.'

#5 Doubt (2008)

When doubt consumes the mind, do we run or overcome it? “Doubt,” set in the rigid confines of a Catholic school in 1964, narrates the accounts of two nuns who have become suspicious of their Catholic priest, Father Flynn. The two nuns' doubts stem from an unsettling and unusual close relationship with Donald Miller, who is the only Black boy in a primarily Italian/Jewish parish school.

Set in a similar setting to Concalve, the movie explores the church hierarchy and Catholic guilt. It also questions the morality of a person who acts on suspicion. The film also treads the same path when it comes to examining the progressive thoughts against the traditional mindset.

Philip Seymour Hoffman and Meryl Streep in Doubt. Source: IMDb

Director: John Patrick Shanley

Cinematography: Roger Deakins

Production Designer: David Gropman

Based on: Doubt: A Parable, 2005 play by John Patrick Shanley

Awards:

Nominated for the 66th Golden Globe Awards

Nominated for the Academy Awards in 2009

Where to watch

Summary: Adapted from the Pulitzer Prize-winning 2004 stage play "Doubt: A Parable" by John Patrick Shanley, the movie digs into the conflict between a progressive and a traditionalist. It follows on the suspicion that Father Flynn, the new parish priest, has sinned in taking a special interest in a troubled boy.

Sister Aloysius, played by Meryl Streep, looks for wrongdoing and accuses the new parish priest without proof or evidence. She is portrayed as the cold disciplinarian who suspects that the ultimate sin is truth, likely because she dislikes the progressive and popular parish priest. Father Flynn's arrival is portrayed as the liberating spirit and the progressive era of Vatican II. The parable is a crusade to challenge Father Flynn’s progressive mission against the church's strict custom.

#4 The Two Popes (2019)

Another movie that beautifully encapsulates the clash of two diversifying ideologies. This dialogue-driven movie showcases Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio, the soon-to-be-elected Pope Francis, and aging Pope Benedict XVI, and their theological differences. In a similar tone to Conclave, the drama spotlights the struggle to decide on a new pope and humanizes the religious leaders.

This movie establishes the power of honest conversations and explores the possibility of redemption from personal and institutional guilt. It also acts as a commentary on the spiritual struggles as both characters question their faith, decisions, and role in the Church through the conversation.

Anthony Hopkins and Jonathan Pryce in The Two Popes (2019). Source: IMDb

Director: Fernando Meirelles

Screenplay: Fernando Meirelles, Anthony McCarten

Cinematography: César Charlone

Based on: The Pope by Anthony McCarten

Awards:

Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture for Drama in 2019

Nominated for Academy Award for Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor, and Best Adapted Screenplay in 2019.

Where to watch

Summary: Fernando Meirelles' biographical drama is set after the Vatican leak scandal, following Pope Bergoglio's intention to resign. The conversation between the aging Pope Benedict and Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, who would later become Pope Francis, is central to this movie.

The Two Popes goes beyond other Pope-based movies, offering a fact-based drama that contrasts the personalities and ideologies of its characters as they grapple with theology. Pope Benedict XVI summons the strong-willed progressive Pope Francis to his summer retreat at Castel Gandolfo not to test whether his resignation is premature but to determine if he is a suitable candidate to succeed as Pope.

#3 The New Pope (2020)

This mini TV series is a sequel to “The Young Pope.” It is set in a timeline where Jude Law's Pope Pius XIII falls into a coma. In the same light as the Conclave, the series probes the Vatican's cardinals as they seek a replacement and focuses on the nature of God, humanity, faith, and the Church's role in the world.

“The New Pope” questions the power of the Vatican and showcases how the authority can be a source of corruption. It also contrasts current societal issues against traditional religious practices, challenging the church’s ability to adapt to modern times. It also touches upon the idea of redemption, forgiveness, and the challenges of atonement.

Jude Law (left) and John Malkovich in The New Pope. Source: The Nation

Directed by: Paolo Sorrentino

Created by: Paolo Sorrentino

Written by: Paolo Sorrentino, Umberto Contarello, Stefano Bises

Composer: Lele Marchitelli

Awards:

Best TV Series at the Venice TV Award 2020

Where to watch

Summary: Director Paolo Sorrentino brings visual flair to the screen and a cheeky sense of humor in this follow-up to 2017’s series “The Young Pope.” This series explores the very human desires, vices, and fragilities of those in power. Jude Law as the first American pope, Pius XIII, represents the hard-line Catholic faction of the Vatican's cardinals.

Pius XIII’s coma forces the Vatican to install a replacement, marking the entry of Sir John Brannox, a wealthy Catholic who eventually became Pope John Paul III. The motivations for his desire to become a new pope are questionable. This mini-series combines surreal visuals, bold music choices (like Sofi Tukker's "Good Time Girl"), and philosophical dialogue to depict the Church as a sacred institution and a political theater.

#2 The Shoes of the Fisherman (1968)

This 1968 movie is out of the ordinary, as it tells the story of a Slav from an Iron Curtain country becoming the first non-Italian pope in 400 years. This papal election drama focuses on the rise of Pope Kiril, the archbishop of Lviv, Ukraine, who is unexpectedly freed from a Siberian labor camp and sent to Rome to become a cardinal.

Much like the Conclave, it centers on the doubts and difficulties of being a new pope, how the world will perceive him, and how this changes the Church's view. It also presents the papacy not as a spiritual leader but as a powerful political position. Since the movie is set during the Cold War, the film reflects on global tensions between communist states and the Western world.

Anthony Quinn and Oskar Werner in The Shoes of the Fisherman. Source: IMDb

Director: Michael Anderson

Story by: Morris West

Screenplay: James Kennaway, John Patrick

Based on: The Shoes of the Fisherman by Morris West

Awards:

Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score in 1969

Nominated for the Academy Award for Best Music

Where to watch

Summary: Adapted from the novel written by Morris L. West in 1963, director Michael Anderson bases the storyline on a Ukrainian archbishop who gets elected as a Pope during the Cold War. Pope Kiril I faces the challenge of uniting a divided world and faces external challenges, as famine and political strife threaten China.

A believer in diplomatic dialogue, the Pope ultimately offered to sell the Vatican’s wealth to aid suffering nations. This movie reflects on sacrifice, peace, and moral courage. It foreshadows the real 1978 election of Polish Pope John Paul II, who also opposed authoritarian rule.

#1 Pope Francis: A Man of His Word (2018)

Filmmaker Wim Wenders captures an inspirational documentary. He travels the world with Pope Francis, documenting the pontiff's humanist views and controversial legacy. Through Wenders' work, Pope Francis's journey, answers to scathing questions, and deep concern for the poor and wealth inequality are timelessly framed.

This co-production between Focus Features and the Vatican presents a stirring case for the pope’s theology. Even more so, Wenders' biographical portrayal offers a window into Pope Francis’s theological framework, as attempted in Conclave.

Pope Francis in Pope Francis: A Man of His Word. Source: IMDb

Director: Wim Wenders

Screenplay by: Wim Wenders, David Rosier

Cinematography: Lisa Rinzler

Music by: Laurent Petitgand

Awards:

Traverse City Film Festival 2018 award winners

Selected for the 71st Festival de Cannes

Where to watch

Summary: Pope Francis: A Man of His Word, by three-time Academy Award nominee Wim Wenders, was presented to the world on the 5th anniversary of his Pontificate. Beyond a documentary, it was released as an inspiring journey of Pope Francis, providing a lens into his ideas and encounters with people from all walks of life. The film’s direct-to-camera visual narrative offers the viewers an immersive experience.

Msgr. Dario Edoardo Viganò, Prefect of the Vatican Secretariat for Communication, made the project successful by inviting Mr. Wenders to make a film with the pontiff. A rare documentation of the many journeys around the world, featuring footage of Pope Francis speaking at the UN, addressing the US Congress, and mourning with those gathered at Ground Zero and at Yad Vashem, the World Holocaust Remembrance Center in Jerusalem.

How movies like The Two Popes, The New Pope, or Shoes of the Fisherman are a fable of the Pope’s election

Ralph Fiennes in Conclave (2024). Source: IMDb

As the Vatican prepares for the most holy event in the Catholic world, movies such as The Two Popes, The New Pope, Shoes of the Fisherman, or Conclave paint a picture of the mysterious world behind the selection of the new Pope. It also talks about the pressures of being a Pope and the underlying political currents behind the secretive walls of the Vatican.

Every character who plays a Pope in these movies signals a change in the world order. They also showcase the flaws in these esteemed figures as they struggle with doubt, ego, past sins, and the crushing weight of responsibility. The movie also questions the institution itself and constantly evaluates its tussle to appease the traditionalists and adapt to modern times to stay relevant. It acts as a moral fable on leadership, faith, humility, and the possibility of redemption.

People also ask

What other movie is similar to conclave?

Some movies similar to Conclave that are themed around papal elections, which are highly recommended, include The Two Popes, The New Pope, and Shoes of the Fisherman.

Is Conclave based on a true story?

As convincing as it sounds, as fictionally accurate as it has been portrayed, the movie "Conclave" is not based on a true story.

How realistic is Conclave, the movie?

Vatican experts have claimed that the Conclave movie is inaccurate. However, observers have pointed out that it accurately depicts the behind-the-scenes political conversations between cardinals during a papal conclave.

How do Catholics feel about the movie conclave?

Catholics criticized the movie conclave in every aspect. They heavily criticize the film's twisted ending.

What does the ending of Conclave mean?

The ending of the Conclave is a plot to be revealed after watching the movie. But it shook the very foundation of the papal election and its institution.