‘Conclave’s’ doubt stands out amid an angelic visual

In Edward Berger’s suspenseful “Conclave,” a spirited monologue from newcomer Cardinal Benitez (Carlos Diehz) speaks of the pettiness among the clergymen gathered to select the next pontiff. “These things are not the church,” he says. “The church is not a tradition. The church is not the past. The church is what we do next.” The fiery message urges solidarity among the distracted conclave of cardinals, and in the ensuing scene they walk as one toward the Sistine Chapel through the rain holding white umbrellas. Berger suggests the angelic visual, framed from high above, is a metaphor for the cardinals to “find purity, the reason why they started in the first place with this job.” The allegorical imagery partly found its allure from costume designer Lisy Christl. “What we imagine when we hear the word umbrella is a black umbrella,” Berger says. “And she showed me this white one and I thought, ‘That’s genius. Let’s make all these umbrellas white.’” But even with the reinvigorated faith among the Church of the Cardinals, the portrait subliminally hints at the emotional undertone of the protagonist, Berger says. “You may notice there’s one guy without an umbrella. He’s broken. He doesn’t get one.”