The performances and dialogue crackle like electricity in Conclave. Every frame is gorgeously composed, with stunning visuals that underscore the story’s surprising twists that thrill on two different levels. It takes us inside an ancient, mysterious process that has inspired endless curiosity for hundreds of years: the assembly of Catholic cardinals to select a new Pope. Here and there, it touches lightly on parallels to the less secret struggles for power and disputes about foundational values that are only too familiar to us. The chance to peek into the arcane details of the process is fascinating. Still, it is the universal humanity, the ambition, the manipulation, the grand visions, the pettiness, the disagreements about faith vs. doubt, progress vs. tradition, “we” vs. “they” that resonate most deeply. Conclave is smart, provocative, sometimes funny, and determined to make us rethink our initial impressions. It challenges us to challenge ourselves and is wildly entertaining, one of the year’s standout films.

It begins with some heavy breathing as Cardinal Lawrence (Ralph Fiennes) rushes, carrying a briefcase and his zucchetto, the red skullcap worn by cardinals as a matter of custom, not formal religious observance. The Pope is dying, and Lawrence takes his place beside the other clergy, praying at his bedside. Then, he is gone. The next task is to remove The Ring of the Fisherman from His Holiness’ hand so they can destroy the seal. This involves some ungraceful tugging, the first indication that the transition will not be an easy one.

Cardinal Lawrence, by virtue of his position as Dean, will preside over the College of Cardinals, sequestered in a special dormitory to select the next pope by vote. They meet in the Sistine Chapel. The ballots are filled out and counted by hand. Then, they are burned. The only communication during this process is by smoke, gray for a ballot that did not result in enough votes for any one candidate to make a selection, white when the selection is made.

It is sometimes said that positions of great power should go only to those wise and humble enough not to want them. That may apply especially to the position of pope, intended to be a lifetime appointment as head of the Catholic Church and Vatican City. Once selected, he is understood to be the ultimate authority, protected from error when he speaks on matters of faith and morals from the Chair of Peter, or ex-cathedra. As one of the cardinals points out, anyone who has risen to that position in the church has mused on which name he would select if he were selected.

Lawrence, whose doubts about his role were great enough that he had planned to ask to leave his position, does his best to meet the conflicting needs of the cardinals. While he says at one point he does not want to hear about any concerns that might make a candidate unworthy, when he sees or hears an issue with suitability, he pursues it, even to the point of breaking a rule. Given that all of the candidates are limited in some way because they are humans, what is worse: a past sin, an unethical ploy to top the list in the voting, or a commitment to policies he and many others consider reactionary and harmful? Lawrence, after all, is very aware of the church’s past failings and the need to avoid any reputational damage.

The superb cast includes John Lithgow as a candidate whose currying of support may have crossed a line from unseemly to unethical, and Lucian Msamati as an African bishop whose selection could be an opportunity to send a message of inclusion, though a secret from his past might be disqualifying. Lawrence supports his friend, Cardinal Bellini (Stanley Tucci, a standout even in this stellar array of performances), who is candid about his liberal views and thus scares off many potential supporters. At the other end of the spectrum is the Catholic version of fire and brimstone, Cardinal Tedesco (Sergio Castellitto), who wants to bring back Latin and kick out anyone out of the church who does not meet his limited ideas of suitability. Isabella Rossellini is formidable as a nun who, as she says, is supposed to be invisible but cannot help but have eyes and ears – and, though she does not add this, a mouth with something to say.

Cinematographer Stéphane Fontaine makes the most of the setting’s striking visuals: the rows of cardinals in their iconic red robes, the multi-colour striped uniforms of the Swiss guards, and the magnificent architectural details of the Vatican. The contrast between the vibrant colours, the masterpieces of art and design, the representation of centuries of tradition, and the human failings and petty manipulations is utterly gripping.