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In Ralph Fiennes' facial expression fit all the emotions, doubts, and anguish of Cardinal Lawrence. What a sublime and Oscar-worthy performance the English actor delivers in CONCLAVE (Edward Berger, 2024). Credible, subtle, and refined, the cast led by Fiennes includes other heavyweight names, such as Stanley Tucci, John Lithgow, or Sergio Castellitto, and almost constitutes a lesson in acting, to which the excellent directing is certainly not unrelated.

In a rare and immersive experience, CONCLAVE invites us behind the closed doors of the Vatican, where the most powerful men in the Catholic Church maneuver in utmost secrecy to elect a new pope. This clandestine setting heightens the intrigue and political machinations unfolding before the audience. Rather than portraying them as immaculate figures, the film presents these men as human beings grappling with weaknesses, dilemmas, and inner conflicts-just like the rest of us. This humanization brings them closer to the viewer, reinforcing an undeniable truth: fallibility is inherent to the human condition.

The phrase "Certainty is the deadly enemy of tolerance" encapsulates the film's core message-one that resonates deeply with the world today. Absolute certainty threatens tolerance in increasingly polarized societies, where rigid, uncompromising opinions fuel division and conflict. The film invites us to embrace doubt and humility as essential drivers of growth and understanding.

Thus, CONCLAVE sparks a dialogue between faith and humanity, suggesting that only by confronting their own vulnerabilities can these men of faith truly recognize their imperfections. It reminds us that preaching values is not enough; they must be lived and practiced. Ultimately, the film asserts that true strength does not lie in dogma or unquestionable certainties but in the ability to embrace and respect the complexity of others-and of the world itself.

It is not a Christmas film, but it is imbued with Christmas spirit due to the message of hope it professes. FALLEN LEAVES (2023), by Finnish filmmaker Aki Kaurismäki, is a touching and beautiful film: it introduces us to two lonely characters, Ansa and Hollapa, whose paths cross at a moment of impasse, two lives moving on autopilot, waiting for someone to take the reins and direct them to a pleasant place. When they discover each other, the difficulties are alleviated by the pleasure of going to the cinema or a special dinner. The clear final allusion to Charlie Chaplin's MODERN TIMES leaves us with the same feeling of comfort that happy endings invariably provoke, but only then do we realize that there is more to Chaplin's masterpiece than a soothing ending. There is also a latent criticism of the conditions of workers, the mechanical and alienating repetitiveness of work, and the harsh reality of an adverse socioeconomic context, where precarious and poorly paid work predominates. Despite this, we are also called upon to value the strength of the human spirit and to continue to believe in a better future.