Conclave

Ralph Fiennes carries this movie brilliantly. A totally claustrophobic story with clever foreshadowing (a lead character called Thomas, and the Pope who keeps pet turtles – did you spot any others?) This sticks very closely to the book and is better for it, a compelling tale of competing papal candidates who crash and burn in various ways leading to an unexpected outcome. The direction and photography were great, really capturing the oppressive feel of the Vatican city. The arcane and slow voting process added to the tension rather than slowing the story down. The whole thing was a triumph, and poor old Ralph was robbed at the Oscars!