STACK #246 April 2025

FEATURE MOVIE

CONCLAVE: A POLITICAL NAIL-BITER In male-driven papal drama Conclave , Isabella Rossellini’s small but mighty Oscar-winning performance as Sister Agnes has attracted more attention than any of her A-list colleagues. F or among all of Conclave ’s viral memes and TikToks, it is Rossellini’s fierce speech, “After a lifetime spent GENRE: Thriller mystery RUN TIME: 2hrs

is able to portray a character’s inner life as well as or better than any actor I can think of,” he says of his film, which earned a total of eight Oscar nods including a 'Best Actor' nomination for Fiennes. "Lawrence is a careful, thoughtful man who doesn’t always say what he feels. Instead, other people talk, he listens, and it all takes place behind his eyes. That’s what makes him so compelling to watch,” says Berger. Fiennes was inspired by the prospect of lifting the veil on this secretive selection process behind the closed doors of the Vatican.

Director Edward Berger also made All Quiet on the Western Front (2022) and directed episodes of The Terror, Your Honor, and Deutschland 83 . DYK?

working toward this moment, Lawrence is now the reluctant manager of a conclave rife with political tension,” explains the actor, whose performance marked his third Oscar nod. “Instead of being in the monastery he aspires to, he is at the centre of controversy. As a man of spiritual integrity, the challenges he faces to make sure the election proceeds ethically, morally, and transparently are inherently dramatic,” says the Harry Potter and James Bond star. Gill Pringle

dressing down a room full of bickering cardinals, that received the most focus. "I didn't know that scene was going to be so impactful until I saw the film at the Toronto Film Festival, and people applauded because, finally, she said something that everybody in the audience wanted to say,” says Rossellini, 72, who received a 'Best Supporting Actress' nomination for her role. A nail-biting thriller, Conclave sees more than 100 high-ranking clergymen converge on the Vatican, where some of the most

Ralph Fiennes and (inset) Isabella Rossellini

influential men in the Catholic Church have already begun lobbying their peers for votes. To play the key figure of Cardinal Lawrence - foisted with the unenviable task of running the “conclave" - director Edward Berger immediately envisaged Ralph Fiennes. “As an actor, he’s so honest, earnest, and full of depth. Most crucially, Ralph

• Conclave is out Apr 9

LIKE THIS? YOU’LL LOVE THESE:

Angels & Demons, Immaculate, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

THE BRUTALIST Adrien Brody, 51, surely made history as the first actor to win two 'Best Actor' Oscars for playing a Holocaust survivor each time. H is most recent Oscar for his portrayal of Hungarian Jewish architect László actor, who got his first break on Neighbours , going on to enjoy memorable roles in The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, Memento, and L.A. Confidential . GENRE: Drama history RUN TIME: 3h 34m

Adrien Brody and Guy Pearce

Toth in The Brutalist came 22 years after his first Oscar for playing Holocaust survivor Władyslaw Szpilman in The Pianist . Co-starring with Australia’s own Guy Pearce - who received a 'Best Supporting Actor' Oscar nod for his performance as wealthy Pennsylvania industrialist Harrison Lee Van Buren - The Brutalist is set in post-WWII America. And while Pearce’s character appears as a kindly benefactor - enlisting Brody’s visionary architect to build him a lasting legacy - then as the project drags on over the years, we witness how Van Buren’s initial largesse becomes something more manipulative and sinister. “There’s a dapper and old-fashioned film star quality that goes with Van Buren’s charm, strength and power. When I put the costume on, I was thrust into the character,” says the

forced apart during wartime. “The struggle for survival is a really key aspect of the film. And we see these characters who have become displaced, asking: How do they start to build a life? How do they make those foundations that are so important to stability and security?”

Directed and co-written by former teen actor Brady Corbet, The Brutalist offered a profound experience for Brody, “I think the beauty of the film is that it speaks to many creative souls and our collective yearning,” he says. “I know it speaks to Brady and it's incredibly personal to the journey of a filmmaker and the journey of an actor or any person with artistic pursuits who yearns to leave behind something of great meaning; who yearns to find a place for all that is wrong in the world that are difficult to comprehend and come to terms with in discussion.” Also Oscar-nominated for 'Best Supporting Actress', Felicity Jones portrays László’s wife Erzsébet, an educated woman who is picking up the pieces of their marriage, having been

questions the British actress. “So their struggle is not just physical, it's also really building a life where they have their dreams, and their principles and their hopes are still

intact, and just how difficult that is to do when you are in a new country, and how to retain your sense of self and your integrity.” Gill Pringle

• The Brutalist is out Apr 30

CHECK OUT THESE FELLOW 2025 OSCAR FILMS:

Anora, The Substance, Wicked, Dune: Part Two, Conclave

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