Conclave Ending Explained: Analysis of the Shocking Twist and What Director Edward Berger Has to Say About It

Spoiler warning! The following article contains major spoilers for the Conclave end. If you haven’t seen Edward Berger’s papal thriller yet and don’t want the masterful twist ruined, come back later.

Every once in a while, a movie comes along with an ending so shocking and brilliant that you can’t help but gasp audibly in the theater. This is largely the case for Conclave finale, Edward Berger’s follow-up to his traumatizing and riveting Academy Award-winning film. All quiet on the Western Front. Easily one of the best releases on the movie schedule 2024as pointed out in CinemaBlend Five-Star ReviewThis complex, biting and reflective drama about the death of a Pope and the election to choose the next leader of the Catholic Church is a true tour de force.

And that’s even before the final moments that lead up to what can best be described as one of the The most shocking endings of all time..

Speaking of which… If you’ve seen what will surely be a main awards contender in the coming months and you want to better understand the ending and find out what the director had to say about that earth-shattering reveal, stick around because we’re about to fall apart. Conclave.

But seriously, if you haven’t seen it yet Conclaveplease come back now…

Cardinals meeting in conclave

(Image credit: Focus Features)

What happens at the end of the conclave?

In ConclaveCardinal Lawrence (Ralph Fiennes) is tasked with organizing the election of the recently deceased Pope’s successor, which is not easy due to the strange circumstances of the sudden death of the leader of the Catholic Church and all the internal political struggles for control of the Holy See.

Sometimes, as shown in he Conclave trailerIt seems that the more liberal Cardinal Bellini (Stanley Tucci) or Cardinal Tremblay (John Lithgow) will be the next Pope, while other more conservative and controversial figures such as Cardinal Tedesco (Sergio Castelitto) or Cardinal Adeyemi (Lucian Msamati) will obtain the necessary votes. However, in the end, Cardinal Benítez (Carlos Diehz), a senior member of the Mexican clergy stationed in Kabul, Afghanistan, who appeared just before the start of the conclave, ends up becoming the next Pope Innocent.

So why is that so shocking? Is it because Cardinal Benitez is the first elected pope from North America or because the top official is stationed in the Middle East (a point of contention throughout the film)? No, as it is discovered through an investigation into Benitez, conducted by Monsignor Raymond O’Malley (Brian F. O’Byrne) for Cardinal Lawrence, that Benitez is intersex.

Moments before Benetiz is presented as Pope Innocent before St. Peter’s Square, Lawrence confronts the Pope-elect about the revelation to which they respond by saying that they discovered late in their life that they were born with male and female reproductive parts. Although visibly torn by the discovery and the ramifications, Lawrence does nothing to prevent Benetiz from rising to the top of the Catholic Church before the screen fades to black and the credits roll.

Ralph Fiennes at the conclave

(Image credit: Focus Features)

The conclave is about a patriarchal institution at a crossroads

In any case, Conclavewhich has been one of the most advance book-to-screen adaptations in quite some time, is a film about a patriarchal institution at a major crossroads. Throughout the film, the cardinals of the respective right and left wings of the Church are not only at odds with their counterparts over the direction of the Church (and society as a whole), but are instead at war. each other because of their political differences and social philosophies.

And that’s what it does Conclave A very interesting film with a brilliant ending. For millennia, the Catholic Church has been led by men who, no matter how liberal or conservative they may seem, want to keep the institution intact and the way it has always been to some extent.

In addition to being the driver behind the wheel of the bus arriving at the intersection, Cardinal Lawrence is also at a personal turning point as he fights a personal battle to stand his ground and offer his resignation or give in to the temptation of becoming the next Pope. However, that becomes debatable after the election of Pope Innocent.

Carlos Diehz in Conclave

(Image credit: Focus Features)

Why the papal election of Cardinal Benítez is such a radical choice

The idea of an intergender person becoming a leader of the Catholic Church is a very radical and forward-thinking scenario, especially in an institution that has traditionally been governed by men and has also distanced itself from issues of gender and sexual identity. . And that’s what makes Conclave The ending and the papal election of Cardinal Benítez were so shocking.

Sure, if anyone besides Cardinal Lawrence knew the truth, the election would cause all kinds of problems within the Church, but that makes the situation so intriguing. Going back to an earlier point, Lawrence is left in a position where he can protect the institution while allowing someone deserving to steer it in a new direction or expose the truth and potentially cause a major schism in the faith.

Ralph Fiennes at the conclave

(Image credit: Focus Features)

What director Edward Berger says about Cardinal Lawrence’s final decision

in front of the Conclave In its theatrical release, director Edward Berger sat down for an interview with CinemaBlend’s Eric Eisenberg, where he addressed the film’s ending and where Cardinal Lawrence was left after discovering the truth about Cardinal Benitez. In regards to the cardinal looking through the cracks in the institution caused by political factions and factions fighting each other (as well as the physical holes in the Sistine Chapel caused by a terrorist attack), Berger said:

We are witnessing one of the oldest patriarchal institutions in the world and, in the end, that institution has a crack and (Cardinal Lawrence) looks through it and sees the future. And I think he kind of accepts it. And the future may not be only male. He has a feminine laugh. And I think that was an interesting element for the movie, for us, to talk about.

In the film’s final moments, Lawrence seems almost relieved; not only because the conclave has concluded and he no longer has that burden on his shoulders, but also because a new future has been presented to him.

It will be interesting to see how the public responds to the Conclave ending over the course of the next few weeks and months. And while we wait to see how the film does at the Oscars and other awards shows, there are many upcoming movies 2025 that have our attention.

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