Director Edward Berger says the behind-the-scenes power politics in his Vatican intrigue thriller “Conclave” resembles the recent switch of the Democratic Party nomination from US President Joe Biden to Vice President Kamala Harris.
The German director told audiences at the Toronto Film Festival on Monday that the script for his thriller about Vatican intrigue was written well before the current U.S. presidential election.
“But this is a human story that contains mechanisms of power that could potentially replace Nancy Pelosi, who would ensure that the Democratic nominee is replaced,” Berger said, referring to the former House speaker who insisted he wanted an “open process” to replace President Joe Biden before he gave way to Vice President Kamala Harris as the Democratic nominee.
Berger’s sequel to All Quiet on the Western Front had its international premiere in Toronto following its Telluride premiere. The Vatican conspiracy thriller, starring Ralph Fiennes, Stanley Tucci and John Lithgow, will be released in theaters on November 1 via Focus Features.
Berger argued that the papal election, in which the College of Cardinals selects the next pope behind closed doors, is as fierce as any other form of politics. “I’m very interested in how people prepare themselves to run for the highest office, what they go through, what they do, what moral compass they’re willing to forfeit,” Berger told a TIFF audience at the Princess of Wales Theatre about the adaptation of Robert Harris’ high-stakes drama.
Berger added that Fiennes’ character, Cardinal Lawrence, who secretly organizes the election of a new pope, allows the audience to follow the broader conflict between tradition, politics and faith. “I always want to put the audience in the shoes of one of my characters and have them see the film through their eyes,” Berger explained.
“The character needs to have a very strong inner journey that we can all relate to in those moments of doubt, questioning decisions, questioning life,” the Conclave director added.