10 Movies to Watch If You Love ‘Conclave’

Conclave has proven to be one of the most narratively striking and iconic thrillers of recent memory, with its relevant themes and reflection of modern evolution and discussion on Catholic values ringing true with audiences and critics worldwide. The film follows Cardinal Lawrence (Ralph Fiennes), who is tasked with managing the covert and ritual of electing a new pope following the unexpected death of the current Pope. With cardinals arriving from all over the world, various infighting, drama, and investigations threaten to destroy the entire voting process.

The film has such a distinct style and slick approach to its telling of the process of the papacy and the various intricacies that come with it, elements that are rarely ever explored in such detail in the medium of film. However, several films certainly come close to scratching the itch that Conclave provides, whether it be other thrillers with religious themes or other films about high-stakes discussion and voting. These films will assuredly be effective for those who enjoy the story and execution of Conclave.

10 ‘We Have a Pope’ (2011)

Directed by Nanni Moretti

A more comedic drama about the ins and outs of the Vatican and papacy, We Have a Pope is an Italian-French film that sees the newly elected Pope struggling to adjust to the role, suffering a panic attack at the public announcement of his nomination. Due to the announcement ceremony not being completed, none of the cardinals are technically allowed to leave until the Pope’s identity is announced publicly, just as he believes he’s not the right man for the job. To help the Pope, the church calls upon a renowned therapist who happens to be an atheist to help the Pope’s fear of his newfound responsibility.

While certainly more lighthearted and comedic than Conclave, We Have a Pope similarly tackles the mental struggles and toil that the papacy has upon not just those in contention for the title of Pope, but everyone in the Vatican. The film brings relatability and humanity to the ins and outs of Vatican drama, while at the same time allowing its dynamic characters to be reflective and comedic to ease its high-profile concept.

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9 ‘First Reformed’ (2017)

Directed by Paul Schrader

While films that tackle the themes and elements of Christianity are often the subject of criticism from critics, First Reformed breaks the mold by being a movie about Christianity that critics loved. The film follows the story of Pastor Ernst Toller (Ethan Hawke), who lives a relatively simple and small life working as a man of the cloth in a small upstate New York church. However, his life slowly begins to unravel and spiral out of control after an encounter with an unstable environmental activist and his pregnant wife.

Much like Conclave, First Reformed simply uses the facets and intricacies of faith and religion as a jumping-off point for not just a more reflective take on what it means to have religious faith, but also a top-notch thriller experience. Much like how Conclave uses Fiennes to bring a stellar centralizing performance to draw people into the film, Hawke’s turn as Ernst Toller is a masterclass in subtle acting and elevates the entire film around him.

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8 ‘Immaculate’ (2024)

Directed by Michael Mohan

2024’s other notable release that deals with hard-hitting Catholic themes and concepts, Immaculate leans much more into horror than Conclave, yet nevertheless, is striking and powerful in its messages of corruption. The film follows the story of Sister Cecilia (Sydney Sweeney), an American nun who finds herself traveling across the world and joining a remote convent in the Italian countryside. However, what starts as a fulfilling new experience quickly turns sour when Cecilia begins to discover the sinister truth and despicable horrors hidden within her new home.

While its tone and execution as a horror film give Immaculate a distinctly different tone and style than Conclave, both films deal with the inherent mystery and search for sinister secrets hidden by high-powered Catholics. Despite being one of 2024’s best horror movies, the film is as much about mystery and thrills as it is about its horror elements, with a lot of thematic symbolism and meaning to chew on throughout. The film doesn’t shy away from the controversies and dark side of Catholicism in the 21st century, while still adhering to the religion’s core tenets of faith and refuge.

7 ‘Women Talking’ (2022)

Directed by Sarah Polley

One of the key elements that have helped make Conclave such an enthralling thriller is its simple concept of having a large body of people voting and discussing a deeply important decision with countless implications. In this regard of religion and faith guiding a mass group decision, Women Talking also greatly succeeds in these elements of continued debate and discussion leading to an inevitable decision being made. The film follows a group of women living in an isolated Mennonite colony meeting to make a painful decision about how to confront the frequent sexual assaults being committed by men in their community.

While it certainly deals with a heavier and more emotionally draining topic than Conclave does, Women Talking ends up exploring similar themes and notions of its characters coming to question their own faith and coming to terms with the result of these ongoing conversations. Women Talking is also massively elevated by the talent and versatility of its supporting cast, with every character adding additional layers to the ongoing arguments and developments on what to do.

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6 ‘Spotlight’ (2015)

Directed by Tom McCarthy

The best-picture-winning biographical drama about the investigation and uncovering of one of the most disastrous Catholic scandals of the 21st century, Spotlight is the quintessential example of a Catholic-themed drama done right. The film follows the true story of the Boston Globe news team and their role in discovering a massive effort by the local Catholic Archdiocese to cover up frequent occurrences of child molestation by men of the cloth. As they delve deeper and deeper into this shocking story, they uncover that the truths are much darker and more sinister than any of them could have imagined.

While Spotlight already made massive waves among critics and audiences upon its initial release, the film has continued to stand the test of time as one of the 2010s best Best Picture winners. Its similarities to Conclave don’t simply stop at being great, Academy Awards hopeful movies that deal with the Catholic Church as a core part of their premise. Both films are squarely centered around the search for truth, with the dedication to going the extra mile and uncovering the hidden, dark secrets to better society as a whole.

5 ‘Novitiate’ (2017)

Directed by Margaret Betts

A timely and self-reflective drama of faith and self-discovery in a Catholic Church setting, Novitiate follows the story of Sister Cathleen (Margaret Qualley), a young woman in the 1960s training to become a nun in rural Tenessee. However, while dealing with the hardships and difficulties of training to become a nun, Cathleen finds herself in a struggle with her faith, as she begins to fear that the woman she is becoming doesn’t align with her duties and expectations as a nun. While Qualley has been a massive rising star lately with her roles in The Substance and the upcoming Victorian Psycho, Novitiate was one of the first films to show the actress’s capabilities and strengths in a leading role.

Novitiate is as much a story of self-reflection and growth for the individual as it is symbolic and reminiscent of the evolution that the Catholic Church itself would see during this period. Much like the leading character of Conclave, Cardinal Lawrence, Cathleen’s struggles with faith stem less from a lack of faith in god itself, but from losing faith in the institution of the Catholic Church that fundamentally refuses to evolve. The period piece proves to be incredibly timely and topical to the struggles that the church is facing in the current year; struggles that Conclave also touches upon in its own distinct way.

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4 ‘The Shoes of the Fisherman’ (1968)

Directed by Michael Anderson

Political dramas that deal with the intricacies of the Vatican and papacy are far from a new phenomenon, as The Shoes of the Fisherman was able to provide a biding and topical reflection that was emblematic of the era’s key issues. The film follows Kiril Pavlovich Lakota (Anthony Quinn), the archbishop of Lviv, Ukraine who is unexpectedly freed from a Siberian labor camp and sent to Rome to become a cardinal. However, soon after his cardinalship, the pope unexpectedly dies, with Lakota unexpectedly winning the vote to become the new Pope, with his insight being paramount to the emerging nuclear war brewing across the world.

Much like Conclave, The Shoes of the Fisherman touches upon the doubts and difficulties that come from the expectations placed upon a new pope, with how they are viewed by the world and how they change the view of the Church being major points of contention. Its premise of a shocking outsider miraculously coming into the title and power of the Pope is sure to ring familiar with fans of Conclave, yet The Shoes of the Fisherman treats this as only the starting point for its narrative, going well in-depth with the unexpected rise of Pope Kiril.

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3 ‘Silence’ (2016)

Directed by Martin Scorsese

Legendary director Martin Scorsese‘s own take on a powerful historical drama with centralizing Catholic themes and elements, Silence is one of his most often forgotten yet undeniably exceptional works of the 2010s. The film follows a duo of Jesuit priests who, in the seventeenth century, find themselves traveling to Japan not only to spread the word of Catholicism, but to search for their mentor. However, with the country being run by the Tokugawa shogunate and having banned Catholicism and the majority of foreign contact, the priests find themselves in hot water.

Silence doesn’t just act as a reflective look at the spread and becoming of Catholicism in other cultures, but actively challenges the notions of religion and ponders the very need for it in culture. With the prospect of their mentor having renounced his religion as a result of torture, Silence deals with a painful reality when it comes to religious freedom and expression, as one of the most reflective and powerful modern films about Catholicism.

2 ’12 Angry Men’ (1957)

Directed by Sidney Lumet

Touted by many as one of the greatest movies of all time, 12 Angry Men is a masterclass in pacing, performance, and mystery as it slowly builds up its simple premise into an exceptional display of pure filmmaking talent. The film follows a 12-man jury, having just bore witness to the defense and prosecution of a murder case, having to now decide whether a young Spanish-American is guilty or innocent of murdering his father. The decision has to be unanimous, and what initially seems like an open and shut case quickly transforms into a display of prejudices and preconceptions as they discuss the true possibilities of the case.

12 Angry Men stands out as one of the biggest and clearest inspirations for the inherent thrills and concept of Conclave, simply expanding its search for truth and excitement to the massive, 100+ person debacle of deciding on a new pope. 12 Angry Men as a whole laid the groundwork for this style of elongated discussion and decision-making filmmaking, allowing the facets and clashes between character archetypes to fuel the drama and layers of its story.

1 ‘The Two Popes’ (2019)

Directed by Fernando Meirelles

When it comes to modern dramas about the struggle to decide on a new pope and the struggling mentality of where to take the future of the Catholic Church, no other film quite succinctly fits the bill like The Two Popes. Based on a true story, the film follows Pope Benedict XVI (Anthony Hopkins) dealing with the aftermath and outcry of the Vatican leaks scandal, with his time as pope being tainted by accusations of his role in the coverup. Tired and frustrated with the direction that the church has taken, he brings his harshest critic, Jorge Bergoglio (Jonathan Pryce), in an attempt to convince him to reconsider his decision to resign as an archbishop so that he can become the new pope.

While not necessarily as thrilling or unpredictable as Conclave, there is no better movie than The Two Popes to watch for those looking for another reflective and symbolic look at the process of deciding on a new pope. This biographical story also manages to provide incredible insight into Conclave itself, as seeing how the real-life transition between Popes occurred manages to make the fictional, drama-filled antics of Conclave that much more effective. The film is a must-watch for those who love Conclave while at the same time acting as its own standalone experience about the difficulties of the papacy.

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