CONCLAVE is THRILLING - Spoiler Movie Review

[@mythicdolphin]

I fail to understand why some people have issues with the last 10 minutes of CONCLAVE. My neighbors 10 yr daughter was born intersex. Her daughter appears female but has no ovaries and no uterus. She will never be pregnant, and never have a menstrual cycle. Her mom hopes extra estrogen will allow her to at least have her body initiate puberty, but her future is unknown. She could end up a grown adult, within the body shape of a pre-pubescent person forever. My neighbor was afraid, that I would be afraid of my daughter being friends with her daughter. I told her no worries. Our children are good friends, and my daughter has learned that sometimes gender itself might not be typical. In the movie Conclave, the cardinal who is intersex, has a different issue, his body appears male. He always assumed he was male, until in his 30’s an appendix removal surgery shocked him with the reveal that in addition to having fully functional male genitalia the Conclave movie character also had a uterus and ovaries (no fallopian tubes) in his torso. He never had breasts and had developed as a man, to the point of his appendix being removed. The movie character was just as surprised as the doctor who removed his appendix, about his odd gender reality From my own point of view, I thought this movie was FANTASTIC! The Intersex birth defect where some genitalia fails to develop, and the individual presents as a single gender; or the more rare complicated situation. where a child is born with internal genitalia parts of both male and female, which may, or more likely, may not be fully present, is a challenge to explain. My neighbor’s daughter underwent a full body scan upon turning 10, to make sure she did not have undeveloped male genitalia in her body. She thinks of herself as a girl, even though she is lacking, since birth, a uterus and ovaries. Physically, she biologically appears to be a 10yr female. Her Chromosomes are Xo. Part of one of her two X chromosomes broke and the two ends of the broken X portions bent and became joined to form a ring. She got lucky. The portion that broke off was small enough that she is still genetically female (XX) but with the additional broken-off “o” part. If More had broken off, of that one X chromosome she would have developed as a Boy with (XY) genetics, and would have developed male genitalia, but may have been sterile. The cardinal Character in ConClave is a characterization of the very Rare (Xo-XY) situation. He presents as male, his body developed as a male, he went through Male Puberty, but his body also had a uterus, and ovaries from birth without his knowledge or awareness, though the ovaries had no fallopian tube connection, he never ovulated, and no breasts ever developed. The point of the end of the movie is, he is, simply himself, and because of having his appendix removed in his 30’s, he then became aware that he is a male but also partially female. Technically he is partly both genders, which the character knows to be odd, but it is, this character’s reality, in the movie, and that should help the Character to have empathy and compassion as he follows the path ahead in his life. I will be showing this movie to my 9yr daughter. I know what her reaction to the end will be. (I.e., “Hey mom and dad”, “The cardinal guy in the end, is just like my friend, only older, with a different group missing or extra private parts, and he ended up looking male. Wow, I’m glad movies are acknowledging that people like my friend are real people.”). Then my daughter will just continue doing whatever she was doing, before the movie. I think this is a great movie, to assist people in understanding that life is not binary. (Black/white, or good/bad, or Just Male/Just Female, … etc.,) People are complicated. Often the best people to lead, are people who do not desire leadership, but are capable when they need to lead, because they care that everyone survives, and they put others first

[@fortynine3225]

Looks like we have a cult member response here.

[@annagodman688]

It lacks that "Dan Brown" motion picture treatment...

[@tonyg76]

Conclave was good, not great. It was slow at times. I thought the ending overdid it. I also got the names confused and it took me awhile to figure out who was who. However, I like the general message of inclusion, calling out flawed people and Ralph Fiennes' performance. I think Fiennes will be nominated, not sure any other performances will.