German filmmaker Edward Berger had an unexpected Oscar success story with his 2022 Netflix adaptation of the classic novel All Quiet on the Western Front. He follows that up with an adaptation of Robert Harris’ 2016 novel Conclave, arriving in theaters this weekend. I found All Quiet to be a handsomely mounted, but rather dry film about the hell of war, and I was surprised it ran away with so many trophies on Oscar night. How does his follow-up feature compare?

We open at the Vatican, and the Pope has just died of a heart attack. The College of Cardinals gathers for a papal conclave to determine his successor. The main competitors are Cardinal Lawrence (Ralph Fiennes), Cardinal Bellini (Stanley Tucci), Cardinal Tremblay (John Lithgow), Cardinal Tedesco (Sergio Castellitto) and Cardinal Benitez (Carlos Diehz). These men all have agendas, they all have secrets, they all have reasons why they should or should not inherit the papacy. Let the backstabbing, gossip, secrecy and mind games begin.

First of all, Conclave is a far more entertaining film than it has any right to be. For a film that is for the most part, men sitting in rooms arguing, there is a sense of urgency that sucks you in as the viewer pretty early on and does not really let up. There’s a whole soap opera-adjacent vibe to the way the drama of this story unfolds. These men are gossipy little bitches who live for the drama, and this movie is a lot better once you realize that’s what you’re dealing with. I thought to myself at one point, Conclave is Mean Girls at the Vatican. And nothing that unfolded throughout the duration of the film gave me the impression I was wrong for thinking that. This is a glossy prestige film that unfolds like a trashy airport novel and you kind of have to love that about it.

Peter Straughan’s screenplay keeps everything moving at an almost breathless clip, and there is not a lot of downtime, as we learn more about what everyone is hiding, and the corruption within the church. I would say that screenplay perhaps does not dive quite as deeply into some of the themes it introduces in the beginning. There are lines of dialogue that suggest interesting places this story could go, that are dropped and/or go nowhere, and that feels regrettable, because that keeps this story from being truly great. But it’s still quite a good time.

The performances here are pretty stellar across the board, and everyone gets at least a few memorable moments. Ralph Fiennes is kind of our audience conduit into this strained world where everyone is hungry for power. Despite being sequestered during the conclave, he is always eager and willing to hear someone spill the tea. Stanley Tucci is very good as the American Cardinal, who doesn’t want the job to begin with. John Lithgow has a few excellent moments as the Canadian Cardinal who might have some secrets. Isabella Rossellini appears in a small role as the head nun who also might have some game-changing information at certain parts of the story. She doesn’t have much to do, but her presence is felt throughout the story.

This is also a very well-made film. It feels like an Oscar voter’s shoo-in for several tech categories, at the very least. The cinematography from Stéphane Fontaine is striking and makes good use of the restrained color palette. Volker Bertelmann won an Oscar for composing the score of All Quiet, and his work here is equally memorable. The score does an admirable job of amping up the intensity and immediacy of this story, and it certainly would not work as well without it. It’s also edited in a way that makes this film, which is essentially an Oscar season homework assignment, feel like something genuinely worth seeing in a movie theater.

Ultimately, Conclave is a very solid Oscar season offering, even if it might not end up on my list of favorites this year. It’s tense, dramatic, full of political intrigue and suspense, but it stops just short of being something truly memorable. Also, the way the final reveal is handled at the end, feels a bit clumsy narratively, and I’m interested to hear how a certain subset of this film’s audience might respond to it. There’s a lot to enjoy here – it can be unexpectedly fun in the soapy way that all of this drama unfolds. And the decision to release it right before a presidential election feels like a deeply calculated choice. This feels immediate and of the moment. And it’s a very good film, one you will certainly need to have seen it by the time Oscar night rolls around, but it also might not be the kind of film that sticks with you on a personal level.