It’s been a bruising election year but this time we’re referring to a ballot box struggle that’s more adult than the one you’d typically first think of in 2024. Rather, on the industry awards front, the election being cited is that of the Pope which takes front and center stage in director Edward Berger’s Conclave (Focus Features), based on the 2016 novel of the same title by Robert Harris. Adapted by screenwriter Peter Straugham, Conclave stars Ralph Fiennes as the cardinal leading the conclave that has convened to select the next Pope. While part political thriller, full of backstabbing and behind-closed-door machinations, Conclave also registers as a thoughtful adult drama dealing with themes such as a crisis of faith, weighing the greater good, and engaging in a struggle that’s as much about spirituality as the attainment of power.
Conclave is Berger’s first feature after his heralded All Quiet on the Western Front, winner of four Oscars in 2023, including for Best International Feature Film. And while Conclave would on the surface seem to be quite a departure from that World War I drama, there’s a shared bond of humanity which courses through both films.
For Berger, the heightened awareness of humanity hit home for him by virtue of where he was–in Rome, primarily at the famed Cinecittà studio–to shoot Conclave, sans any involvement from the Vatican. He recalled waking up in Rome to “soak up” the city. While having his morning espresso, Berger recollected looking out a window and seeing a priest walking about with a cigarette in his mouth, a nun having a cup of coffee, an archbishop carrying a briefcase. It dawned on Berger that these were just people going to work and that inspired him to infuse Conclave with that very same human aspect, to bring the characters down from some kind of proverbial pedestal and “make them human,” to delve into “the humanity behind each character.”
And he teamed with others, including editor Nick Emerson for the first time, to capture that humanity–but in a precise manner. Berger described Conclave as “a restrained film” technically and in terms of image, the focus being on the character performances as delivered by a masterful acting ensemble which also included Stanley Tucci, Isabella Rossellini, John Lithgow and Brían F. O’Byrne. It’s a precision that gives performance the room to breathe and takes us deep into character and story. Berger likened this precision cinematically to the work of director Alan J. Pakula, particularly his The Parallax View in 1974.
Part of that precision, related Berger, is rooted in minimalist cutting. Rather than go back and forth between characters to follow dialogue as it’s uttered, you for example stay on Fiennes for a minute, see the impact of something nasty that the fellow cardinal Tucci says. The impact on Fiennes becomes greater when you’re not shuttling repeatedly between him and Tucci. Berger described Pakula as a master of directing the viewer’s gaze, “a director of the audience’s attention,” which is “the real art.”
Berger enlisted editor Emerson for his artful acumen. The director gravitated to Emerson for his work on director William Oldroyd’s Lady Macbeth, and based on a strong recommendation from Conclave producer Tessa Ross. Noting that Ross worked with Emerson on several projects, including the BBC series Life After Life, Berger stated that “if she recommends someone, I know this person is good.” Still, though, it remains a leap of faith when taking on a first-time collaborator, continued Berger who said luckily that he and Emerson connected. “If you like spending time together and don’t get on each other’s nerves” and you aren’t afraid to give your honest assessment, then you have a positive bond, said Berger. “You don’t feel inhibited because the editor is losing patience. Or an editor doesn’t feel inhibited by a terrifying director…You can say ‘this is ‘shit, how do we get it to where you can release this film to the world?’ The job is to be critical” of what you have and to strive to make it better.
Berger added that Emerson is remarkable in terms of “absorbing notes.” The editor is proficient at analyzing thoughts and notes, weighing their merits and letting them settle. “He keeps on working until we are super happy.”
Emerson said he felt simpatico with Berger on Conclave as they share a similar taste and sensibilities about film. “There’s a shared language,” said the editor who added that he’s committed to reading all the notes and ideas, “You respond to the things that jibe with you,” hopefully the result being that “the film keeps getting better” while “some other things just fall away.”
Emerson embraced Berger’s affinity for The Parallax View, which meant being “rigorous” with shot choices, not automatically returning to a shot, maybe not cutting as often yet still maintaining a pace that advances the story. Balancing all that is a challenge,” affirmed Emerson, but it all goes back to the relationship you have with the director. “If the two of you have that same goal, you can help each other through, guide each other I suppose. The desired precision ultimately comes down to when to cut and when not to cut. Sometimes it’s obvious. “Edward is great at analyzing cuts” and his suggestions such as ‘let’s try two or three frames later’ have proven helpful, at times invaluable,” when it comes to getting the most out of a scene.
In the big picture, Berger said he found something stirring and inspiring about Conclave–even with its protagonist in the throes of a crisis of faith. We live in a time of certainty, he observed, where one side of the political spectrum believes it’s in the right–and hates the other side. The other guys don’t understand my point of view is the prevailing sentiment, continued Berger who found it uplifting to tell a story that “embraces a culture of discussion,” where the characters learn from each other and that somehow leads to “a hopeful outlook for the future.” That’s when change can be embraced to help realize that future.
Emerson concurred, recalling that when he read the script for Conclave, it reminded him in some respects of All the President’s Men. He thought it wonderful to aspire to that kind of “dialogue-heavy film.” For Conclave, Emerson also became obsessed with the ceremony and details of the situation. But lastly, “as Edward said, I find it [the story] optimistic,” affirmed the editor who also found it “very exciting” that something good and enlightening could emerge from the kind of sequestered warfare being waged within the battleground of the Vatican.
Conclave adds to a filmography for editor Emerson which include director Oldroyd’s Eileen, Emma from director Autumn de Wilde, Greta directed by Neil Jordan, and An Evening With Beverly Luff Lin helmed by Jim Hosking.
Conclave has already garnered assorted honors including nominations for Best Picture and Director from the Golden Globes, as well as for Best Picture, Director and Editing from the Critics’ Choice Awards, and for outstanding editing of a dramatic feature film from the ACE Eddie Awards. Berger and Emerson are reportedly also well into their second collaboration–The Ballad of a Small Player for Good Chaos and Netflix.
Justin Kuritzkes
The story of a spec script coming to fruition as a major motion picture is certainly an inspiring if not long shot prospect for writers everywhere. But even more stirring and a considerably longer shot is that spec screenplay in relatively short order spawning the opportunity for a second feature film with the same marquee director–and in the process yielding a working relationship with that filmmaker which creatively would be the envy of any writer, aspiring or established.
That’s the reality which unfolded for Justin Kuritzkes, a playwright and novelist, whose original spec script became the Luca Guadagnino-directed Challengers (MGM), nominated for four Golden Globes, including Best Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy. Additionally, Challengers earned a Gotham Award nomination for Best Feature, while also garnering actor-producer Zendaya a Gotham Spotlight Tribute, largely for her portrayal of Tashi Donaldson, a former tennis prodigy who turns coach after a major injury. She’s a force of nature, part of a trio at the center of Challengers. Married to Art Donaldson (portrayed by Mike Faist), a champion who’s mired in a losing streak, Tashi has mapped out a comeback strategy for her husband which takes a surprising turn when he must face off against the washed-up Patrick (Josh O’Connor), his former best friend and Tashi’s ex-boyfriend. Their pasts and presents collide on and off court, making for a geometrically complex love triangle. Guadagnino was quoted as paralleling the dynamics of the story to a volleying match, with desire rather than the tennis ball going back and forth among the players, raising questions as to the true cost of winning–and what even constitutes a victory in such a competition.
“I knew the movie would not exist unless I wrote it,” said Kuritzkes, affirming that in essence he wrote Challengers “for me.” He sent the script off to various producers, connecting with Amy Pascal and Rachel O’Connor. They relayed it to Zendaya who wanted to be in the film and produce it. In turn the script then got into the hands of Guadagnino who read it towards the end of 2021. “We talked on the phone that week,” recalled Kuritzkes who a week later was on a plane to Milan to spend time with Guadagnino to determine if they could collaborate on the project. They immediately jumped in together on the film with Kuritzkes estimating that Challengers went from first draft to pre-pro in about five months. From the moment he met Guadagnino, Kuritzkes felt a rapport with the director, that they “spoke the same language” and that “the things that excited him about cinema also excited me.” They formed a friendship and developed a shorthand and free-flowing creative exchange that felt “very natural” when on set for Challengers.
Kuritzkes found himself on set the entire time, from pre-pro to rehearsals to production, which he said was “a testament to Luca’s generosity” as a collaborator. “He insisted I be there.” If there were any changes in the script, Kuritzkes would be there to make them, based on what he observed and/or what was sparked by conversations with Guadagnino. The writer was overwhelmed by the “respect and trust” placed in him by Guadagnino. “That’s not the norm. It was not lost on me how rare and generous that is.”
Challengers marked not just Kuritzkes’ first movie script but also the first time he spent any extended time on a movie set. Guadagnino in essence gave Kuritzkes what amounted to “film school,” affording the writer the opportunity “to be there everyday and watch these incredible artists make this movie at the highest level.”
Guadagnino also gave Kuritzkes something else while on set, literally–handing him a book by William S. Burroughs. The director asked Kuritzkes to read it and adapt it. Kuritzkes read it that night–the novel “Queer.”
So the writer went from his first original movie screenplay to his first adapted screenplay–based on a Burroughs novel finished in the 1950s but not published until the ‘80s. This ultimately translated into the Guadagnino-helmed Queer (A24), starring Daniel Craig as an American expat living in 1950s’ Mexico City where he cruises for younger men while coping with an escalating drug habit. Craig’s character, Lee, becomes infatuated with a poised, reserved, enigmatic young man named Allerton (portrayed by Drew Starkey). What unfolds is a love story that’s also part romantic mystery, as well as an adventurous quest for enlightenment and the attainment of a telepathic connection. All this is part and parcel of an expedition that takes Lee and Allerton into the consciousness-raising properties of nature and ayahuasca.
Kuritzkes handed in his first draft of Queer a couple of weeks after Challengers wrapped. About a month later Craig was on board and the movie got underway. Kuritzkes continued his collaborative bond, and film school education on set and location with Guadagnino. The writer described Queer as “an incredibly useful learning experience.” Queer marked the first time he adapted anything. Whereas Challengers had been an original script, Kuritzkes entered Queer with a lot of assumptions as to what an adaptation would be like, what would be easier or harder about it. He discovered that adaptation is not only translating something to the screen but also finding your own personal way within it–and taking responsibility for it as yourself.
Kuritzkes said Queer entailed a process “where I felt like my job was to act as a medium between these two artists–Luca on one hand, Burroughs on the other…And in the middle of that I had to find myself. I had to let the movie that I was writing affect me and find myself in it, to take responsibility for what I found there. It was an illuminating process for me and I hope to carry it over as I adapt other things.”
Also unlike Challengers, Kuritzkes had the luxury with Queer knowing up front that Guadagnino was going to direct. Having observed and worked with Guadagnino on Challengers, Kuritzkes had a better sense for how he should write Queer, creating scenes that he wouldn’t hand to any other director–knowing full well that he was providing material tailor-made for Guadagnino and his sensibilities. Kuritzkes shared, “I knew his cinema so well” from Challengers that he could shape Queer in such a way that Guadagnino could dovetail with it naturally, developing scenes which he would be excited to take on.
There was an extra measure of creative latitude in adapting “Queer” in that Burroughs’ novel was never fully completed. Kuritzkes said he and Guadagnino discussed this opportunity as being akin to opening a door, stepping through and gazing at what was on the other side. They not only tried to honor Burroughs’ spirit and choices he might have made but also extrapolated upon what was in the book. At times Kuritzkes had the feeling that there were places that Burroughs wanted the book to go to but for whatever reason didn’t. He and Guadagnino were open to those possibilities as well.
Kuritzkes held the additional title of executive producer on Queer but noted that really didn’t make much of a difference in comparison to his experience on Challengers. At the end of the day, “your job is to make the movie,” and the opportunity to collaborate with Guadagnino and others was steadfast, translating into a gratifying experience on both the original and adapted screenplay sides of filmmaking.
This is the ninth installment of our weekly 16-part The Road To Oscar Series of feature stories. Nominations for the 97th Academy Awards will be announced on Friday, January 17, 2025. The 97th Oscars will be held on Sunday, March 2, 2025.
