Obviously, this is a must-watch movie. I have not yet decided whether it is the “best picture” of 2024, but it is certainly one of the best. The cast is amazing. Stanley Tucci, Ralph Fiennes, Isabella Rossellini… the movie is worthwhile just because of the cast. Having said that, although the movie was about the appointment of a new Pope, one of the most majestic, mysterious and consequential processes in our global machinery, it felt a little like an Agatha Christie who-dunnit: a gathering of individuals vying for a prize and in each chapter one of the characters’ truth is revealed and he is eliminated as a candidate. “And then there were none,” I kept thinking. The cinematography was stunning (all those red robes and white hats against a background of gray and white marble!) Even the sound was unusually evocative. But there were elements to the plot that kind of went nowhere and then the surprise ending… well, I didn’t see that coming! Overall, I loved this movie and could watch it again.
