Jakarta. The Oscar-nominated papal drama "Conclave" pays great deal of attention to its cinematography and sound. 

Directed by Edward Berger, "Conclave", which has eight Oscar nominations, shines light on the power struggle between conservatives and liberals as cardinals from around the world gather to elect the successor of the late pope.

Ralph Fiennes -- known for his role as Harry Potter's big bad Voldermort, plays as Cardinal Thomas Lawrence -- a British liberal and dean of the College of Cardinals. There are some leading candidates: the American liberal Cardinal Aldo Bellini (Stanley Tucci), Canadian moderate Cardinal Joseph Tremblay (John Lithgow), Italian traditionalist Cardinal Goffredo Tedesco (Sergio Castellitto), and the Nigerian conservative Cardinal Joshua Adayemi (Lucian Msamati). Little-known Mexican archbishop Cardinal Vincent Benitez (Carlos Diehz) eventually gains popularity.

The Jakarta Globe recently joined a press screening for this movie. Cinematographer Stéphane Fontaine has made "Conclave" a piece of work that is rich in wondrous shots and striking colors that are not only pleasing to the eyes, but also tell a story. 

One of the key visually appealing scenes early in the political thriller is when the more open-minded cardinals and Bellini's supporters secretly gather in an aula to counter the traditionalist rival Tedesco. The cardinals' black robes and red hat make a nice contrast to the blue seats. Their conversation is shot from a distance, emphasizing the secrecy of the talks. The camera zooms only when the Vatican nuns are about to walk into the room. The close-ups represent as if they are now back under the microscope as every move counts in this contest, and have to pause their discussions.

The well-acted, star-studded "Conclave" plays with cinematography to portray one's defeat. Despite grabbing an early lead, Adayemi's candidacy falls apart when Lawrence learns that the former has fathered a nun's child in the past. In a ballot session taken after Adayemi's secret is out, the frontrunners' names get called, including with how many votes that they have collected. The camera shows a medium close-up of the candidates, all are surrounded by empty seats to put an emphasis on the conclave's favorites. However, Adayemi's part is different from the rest. His part is shown through a wide shot with the camera getting further away from Adayemi. The shot makes him appear small to signify how he now has little to no chance of leading the Roman Catholic church in the future.

The stunning umbrella scene has many cinemagoers talking. In the later part of the movie, we see an overhead shot of hundreds of cardinals moving into the Sistine Chapel under white umbrellas. It builds the audience's anticipation as we will finally learn who will be the next pope.

"Conclave" uses sound and its lack thereof to build tension. The absence of music in most parts of the movie also immerses the audience in the dialogue and reflect on one's faith. This includes Lawrence's sermon of how certainty could be one's greatest sin as the cardinal says: "if there was only certainty and no doubt, there would be no mystery. And therefore no need for faith." There is no background music playing. You can only hear the dean's words.

Another noteworthy part for the acoustic department is when Lawrence sneaks into the late pope's sealed room. Volker Bertelmann's string-heavy score, which increasingly gets louder, builds up the tension as he rushes to the pope's quarters, but the music gets cut in a timely manner as Lawrence breaks the seal. It is also in this moment that Lawrence discovers documents that indicate Tremblay committing simony. Bertelmann turns the volume up once again when Lawrence makes copies of Tremblay's documents. It's quite satisfying to hear the sounds of the photocopier complement the music perfectly. 

"Conclave" will soon play in Indonesian cinemas.