Here are Cinephile Corner’s 10 recommendations for movies like Conclave:
Heretic
Scott Beck and Bryan Woods have steadily built themselves a career since their breakthrough writing credit for A Quiet Place nearly a decade ago. The duo has parlayed their success into multiple directorial efforts, including the pulse-pounding Haunt and the sci-fi thriller 65. Now, they return to their horror roots with Heretic, a chilling and twist-laden movie about two young religious missionaries who knock on the wrong door on a cold, snowy night.
Small Things Like These
I thought Cillian Murphy couldn’t get any more wide-eyed and weathered than in his Oscar-winning turn as the title character in Oppenheimer, but just one role later, he manages to do exactly that in Small Things Like These. Serving as a low-key star vehicle for one of the industry’s most steadfast and quietly expressive performers, Murphy feels almost too right for a role like this. The film simply follows him—face etched with equal parts resilience and sorrow—through a small Irish town during the Christmas season as he uncovers deeply unsettling truths about the Catholic Church, an institution that looms heavily over nearly every citizen in town.
The Lost Daughter
Few debut movies have the level of care and precision that Maggie Gyllenhaal‘s The Lost Daughter has. An intimate film about fragile bonds between mother and daughter, The Lost Daughter relies on powerful performances from Olivia Colman, Dakota Johnson, and Jessie Buckley – all of whom exceed with flying colors.
Eddington
Ari Aster’s Eddington is a jagged political mirror—scattershot with ideas, audacious in tone—and somehow plays like a slow-burn powder-keg farce that detonates exactly when it means to. Premiering at the Cannes Film Festival to chilly early notices, the film was quickly read as opportunistic, a movie “profiting” off COVID lockdowns and the George Floyd protests rather than meaningfully engaging with them. But taken on its own terms, Eddington is a bracingly self-reflective work: an American fever dream about paranoia, doomscrolling, and the grifters who materialize when anxiety becomes a commodity.
Killers of the Flower Moon
In Martin Scorsese’s epic crime drama, Killers of the Flower Moon, we are transported back in time to the early 1920s, to the Osage Nation in Oklahoma, a land drenched in blood and oil. Adapted from David Grann’s best-selling book of the same name, Scorsese’s take on this dark chapter in American history takes us on a thrilling, if occasionally meandering, journey that showcases the director’s distinct cinematic style while exploring a unique angle on the source material.
She Said
She Said will surely be crowd-pleasing for those that give it the time of day, but there’s a sincerity issue involved with it that held me back from truly connecting that its own emotional crux. It doesn’t quite shine beyond a few graceful lead performances and remarkable settings, but it’s still worth the price of admission.
Juror #2
Warner Bros. initially sidelined Clint Eastwood‘s courtroom drama Juror #2. Despite critical acclaim for the 94-year-old director’s latest work, the studio only pursued an awards campaign after the film gained praise. The movie had a limited theatrical release by Warner Bros., a decision that was widely criticized. After watching Juror #2, I share the frustration of those who missed the chance to experience this procedural drama on the big screen.
September 5
September 5 is a gripping and thoughtfully constructed film that succeeds in bringing an authentic and engrossing drama to life. It manages to walk the fine line between suspense and introspection, solidifying its place as a standout entry in the journalistic drama genre. The movie is bolstered by a strong ensemble cast that includes John Magaro, Ben Chaplin, Peter Sarsgaard, and Leonie Benesch.
Rebel Ridge
Jeremy Saulnier is continuing to show that there aren’t many filmmakers capable of making movies like he is. Rebel Ridge occasionally establishes him as an auteur capable of extreme visceral sequences and building up tension that will make you squirm in your seat, but I’m not as sold on his attempt to tie these themes to this story. A good movie made by a director capable of making great movies.
The Last Duel
Ridley Scott’s The Last Duel is a medieval epic that trades grand battles for something far more harrowing—a Rashomon-style retelling of a brutal assault, where perspective shapes the truth. The film, based on true events, unfolds through three distinct narratives, each offering a different account of the same crime. With a stellar cast led by Matt Damon, Adam Driver, and Jodie Comer, the movie is as much a historical drama as it is a sobering commentary on power, justice, and gender dynamics.
READ MORE: Conclave (2024)