With an especially close Presidential Election only three days away, it’s nearly impossible to watch Edward Berger’s papal thriller Concalve without drawing a parallel to the American political process. The pope has died, and a conclave has assembled to elect another. But with so many scandals and secrets, can they find a suitable candidate? Which candidates will cling to their ideals? How many must inevitably compromise theirs? And will ambition or a pursuit of the truth win the day?

Oscar pundits all wonder the extent to which the winner this Tuesday will have a direct impact on the sumptuous and shocking film’s awards prospects. Berger’s adaptation of All Quiet on the Western Front won four Oscars, but it arguably did not have as much (if any) potential for controversy or backlash. On this episode of The Long Take Review, P.T., Antonio, Greg, and I debate what kind of political discourse that this film may generate as well as how that discourse may, at least in part, determine how many Oscar nominations it can get. We also delight in the film’s thriller elements, and celebrate the numerous strong performances.

We go into SPOILER MODE at the 27:46 minute mark. If you are on the fence about whether or not you want to go see Conclave, you can listen safely until then.

Image Credit: Variety

You can listen to The Long Take Review on Substack, Spotify, Apple, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts.

All music licensed through Epidemic Sound.

Logo art: Illustration 73265080 © Worldofvector | Dreamstime.com

Get full access to The Long Take at thelongtake.substack.com/subscribe